Sirens Call
by lezonne
Summary: Instead of growing those lust filled eyes like everyone else, he simply shook his head, looking at me once more when he finished. He didn't try to kiss me- thankfully- but he did seem offset by my voice. I wonder why he seems to be the only one who can actually fight it. Hermione is a bit alarmed when her voice starts driving lust into men like that of a Siren.
1. Eye

**A/n:** Thanks to my awesome beta **Hunter's Heir**!

_Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye._

_-H. Jackson Brown, Jr._

I don't even want to go into the dramas of today. It's been rough since I woke up.

This morning passed as normal, and I was off and away in my Head Girl room just above the library, quite thankful that the Head Boy and Girl did not share a common room, getting ready for the day. I went to the Gryffindor common room once finished to walk with Harry and Ron down to the Great Hall, since Ginny was off flirting with Seamus again. But as soon as I said hello, they started acting quite odd.

Their eyes got dreamy, goofy grins pulling at their lips. I thought this was a bit bizarre, and asked what was wrong. Ron practically jumped on me trying to kiss me, and I ended up propelling him backwards with a spell. The scene caught the attention of a set of girls sitting in the room, but they didn't seem to be acting like Ron and Harry were. I didn't get it.

Irritated I stomped off to the Great Hall, ignoring Harry when he got the same look in his eye. Maybe they had a shot or something that morning, or were just trying to get under my skin, because they'd never acted this way before. Sure, I dated Ron for a while, but we both agreed it wasn't working out. However, nearly being jumped by him didn't make me believe that. Perhaps he still harbored feelings, and he'd lost control.

I learned about ten minutes later that it wasn't just Ron who was acting extremely weird. Sitting down in the Great Hall I grumbled, and the two guys next to me looked over with the same lust-stricken look. Okay, that's about the time I started feeling uncomfortable. I'm not the type of girl that turns heads, causes necks to break because people are trying to see me, or has a million people crushing on me. Sure, I know I'm a lot better looking than I used to be- not to sound cocky- but I'm not drop dead gorgeous either. Maybe everyone is just playing a twisted prank on me.

Harry and Ron walked in after I did, and seemed to be back to their usual selves as they sat down. I commented that their behavior earlier was completely uncalled for, and the same look re-appeared in their eyes. Now I knew something was up. I made a big deal about it, telling them to remember that I was Hermione, and I would figure out what was up. However, the longer I talked the more attention I seemed to draw. When someone tried to grab me and kiss me, I hexed the twat and dashed out of the Great Hall, horrified to find that all the men from Gryffindor and the neighboring Ravenclaw table followed. Well, this was trauamatizing.

The teachers didn't like it much either, and tried to settle everyone down. I didn't hear what was said as I ran for it, solely focused on getting away from these crazy men. What had gotten into them? This never happened to anyone before!

I managed to escape the lot by rushing around a corner and hiding behind a statue, letting the group journey down the hall before dashing from my hiding spot. I found the security of a broom closet and slipped in, thanking Merlin that I wasn't followed.

Now I stand here in this closet, contemplating what the hell could be going on. One moment I'm trying to yell at my friends, the next I'm being followed by men who have lust-driven eyes. Where the looks come from and why I don't know, but I'm glad the entire Great Hall didn't end up that way. I'd be royally screwed if that were the case.

It's still a mystery as to what started that. I can't say that my amazing good looks compelled the chase, as I'm nothing more than average looking. Average height, decent hair, good teeth. I'm not drop dead gorgeous like Ginny or Padma, and I don't whore myself out like Daphne, so I can't figure out what's going on. Maybe this is a horrific joke, one to make me look and feel shitty. I don't think that's the case though, else it would be Malfoy who was behind everything, and Harry and Ron would not participate in any way. Something was going on, and I didn't like it one bit.

Cracking the door open, I peer out, searching to see if anyone is around. It seems that everyone vacated this hall finally, which shouldn't have taken as long as it did, considering that this corridor isn't even currently in use. Sighing I step out, grateful that I'm not going to be chased. I just need to get back to my dorm, and maybe then I can figure out what the hell is going on.

Whatever it is, it must stop. I don't appreciate any of this one bit. I have a life, and being stalked isn't going to let me lead it very well.

I made it back to the library without incident, evading anyone I heard coming by sneaking around. I didn't want to encounter anyone, didn't want to speak to anyone, not until after I knew what the hell was going on. Thank Merlin it was Saturday, or I'd have a serious problem.

I plowed through the library faster than I normally would, ignoring anyone who glanced my way. I would not look at them and I got to the section where my room was hidden without a hitch. Unfortunately, my good luck ended there.

Malfoy lounged on a chair in front of the entrance way, looking without interest at a book. I'd completely forgotten that we were going to handle the prefect schedule today, resituating shifts for students in Quidditch or the Astronomy class. Now that school was about a month in, we knew what really did need to change.

But why, why oh why did he decide to remember? He forgets everything I say to him, and the one day I don't want to see anyone he's here, sitting in my way, prepared to reorganize the schedule as quickly as possible? Fuck me.

"Took you long enough to come back," he spat bitterly, rolling his eyes as he faces me. "After your little chase this morning I wasn't sure you could show your face. Did the males in those houses finally decide to run you out of Hogwarts? It took long enough."

My eyes widened, and I spoke rashly before I could remind myself that I was trying to be silent. "No they just chased me like hungry pigs."

Instead of growing those lust filled eyes like everyone else, he simply shook his head, looking at me once more when he finished. He didn't try to kiss me- thankfully- but he did seem offset by my voice. I wonder why he seems to be the only one who can actually fight it.

Maybe it's because he's still too prejudiced about blood heritage to even be entranced by whatever I've been doing to the males at school all morning. Well, at least I have that on my side. Harry and Ron might be possessed when I step into a room, but good old Malfoy still thinks I'm disgusting. At least something still makes sense.

Malfoy still can't stand me. This is good. Maybe I'm just having a frightfully bad dream.

"Well whatever your problem is," he said, shaking his head again, "Do keep it to yourself, won't you? I have better things to do than be disrupted today. Maybe the flabbergasted boys will stay away long enough that we can get something done."

"Right, whatever," I muttered, taking the other seat at the table. He was looking at me oddly as he rubbed his temple, seemingly thinking. I have no idea what was going on in his head but hopefully it was different from the lust driven eyes everyone shot my way that morning. I can't handle being chased by Malfoy of all people!

It didn't take long for me to get distracted. I started thinking about this morning again, wondering if I was perhaps tripping on something. No, I hadn't consumed anything dangerous or untrustworthy yesterday, and it was unlikely that I was drugged. So why did the men anywhere near me lose their minds when I started speaking? Oh, there would certainly be questions later from the Headmaster about this, I'm sure.

I actually remembered reading something like this when I was young. Sirens or something could lure men to their deaths according to Greek mythology. That didn't really seem to fit since I'm not exactly beautiful, but truth be told it's the only thing I can think of. They used to do it with music, right?

_Singing. They would sing and lure men to their deaths._

I look towards Malfoy. Well, he could be fun to try that out on. If he has no reaction to my voice then I can declare myself batty and go researching through the entire library to see what the hell was wrong with me.

And if he does have a reaction to my voice, well, then I will be as terrified as I please. Taking a deep breath, I wonder if I need more sleep or something. Sirens, as if! They were mythical for a reason!

Nonetheless, I have no idea what's going on, and decide to just go with it. Taking a second breath he glances at me, realizing I'm not paying attention anymore. I don't know if it's irritation or anger in his eyes, but either way he doesn't seem like he even noticed that I was off thinking about other things. Apparently even when I'm daydreaming I look focused.

_Sirens use romantic bullshit right? That's what's entrancing?_ I looked towards Malfoy. Merlin, if this didn't work he might just hit me for my stupidity.

I might hit myself for my stupidity. But I won't know unless I actually try something out, right? Staring down at the paper in front of me, blocking out whatever he's trying to say, I start singing, really believe I've gone off the deep-end.

"_No I can't take one more step towards you/ Cause all that's waiting is regret/ Don't you know that I'm not your ghost anymore/ I lost the love I loved the most."_

I stop and look up at him, surprised at how amazing my voice sounds. Usually I sound dreadful, but the words flow beautifully off my tongue, slipping out like silk instead of gravel. He's got that lustful look in his eyes now, the same look everyone else usually has.

My eyes widen as he continues to stare on at me with that hungry look in his eyes. Shit, that means… well, shit!

He's staring at me now with that hungry look growing in his eyes, though he seems to be having an internal battle with himself. I get up out of my chair, panicking. No, no, no! This was supposed to be a joke, a stupid one, but nothing real! This is preposterous since Sirens aren't real, since I'm not one, since-

I stop thinking as he stands and jumps on me, pinning me into the floor. His mouth finds mine and I'm stunned, too alarmed by what the hell is happening. Oh no, this was very bad indeed.

Sirens supposedly lure men to their deaths. Well, once Malfoy realizes what he's doing, I'm sure he's going to feel like I've done exactly that, even as he crashes his lips into mine, repeatedly.

Oh yeah. This is going to be so hard to explain.

* * *

**A/n:** So… here's a new idea. I'm not quite sure it'll become a full blown story though. I was just kind of writing to see if I could clear my brain and get something decent done, but it turned into this… Siren story.

So please leave a review. It's really out there, but kind of intriguing I suppose. And it will help me make a decision on what I'm doing with this. It might be continued or I might just mark it as complete, labeling it as brainstorming or something. I guess we'll see what happens.


	2. Lust

**A/n: **Thanks to my newfound beta **Hunter's Heir**!

* * *

_The more we are filled with thoughts of lust the less we find true romantic love._

_-Douglas Horton_

Malfoy, despite his lean frame, is actually rather heavy. I realize how internally fat he really is as I wiggle beneath his body, trying to get him off of me! Blast my wand for falling so far away. The wiggling is having the wrong affect however, and I think it's better to stop moving my hips. Good Merlin, could this get anymore awkward?

Deciding that I'm not physically built enough to get him off, that my arms are too bloody short to reach my wand, and that speaking is a rather stupid idea, I settle for something that will probably just get me bitched at when he comes to his senses. Screwing up my eyes I brace myself for the oncoming fight, balling up my strong arm. Well, here goes nothing.

I'm not exactly an impressively strong person, but I can throw a good enough punch to at least knock some sense into this bloody wizard. The hit hurts me too, as his face is pressed tightly against my own, and I move my jaw several times after he tumbles off of me, getting the pain to go away as quickly as possible. If nothing else, I'm not being flattened anymore.

Struggling to my knees I glance his way, and realize he's looking at me in horror. One hand rests over his mouth, silently telling me that he's horrified. Well, it's not as though I couldn't already guess that. His eyes are bulging out of his head, and I wonder briefly if he'll even be able to speak.

"Malfoy-"

"_Don't_ speak!" he cries, jumping up. I stand along with him, saying nothing in the process. "Don't say a word! Holy fuck, what did I just do?!"

"M-"

"We just went over this, _stop_ talking!" I notice that his panic is worse than I originally thought, and silently I accept the fact that he doesn't want to listen as I press my lips together, waiting to see what silliness will spill out of his mouth now.

"What was that?" he asks his voice softer now, as though he's speaking more to himself than to me. "What kind of self-control was that Draco? You just kissed a-"

"Don't say it!" I warned, once more ignoring his plea for me to stay silent. His face screws up at my comment and I truly wonder if he is battling with himself to not jump me again. I shudder at the thought.

Though he wasn't a bad kisser at all, possibly the best I'd ever kissed.

Okay… this lust nonsense has to be getting to my head if I just said that.

"Granger," he begins, grabbing the shelf behind him, "What's going on? What kind of bullshit curse did you place on yourself, because this isn't funny! Do you know how much mouthwash I'll have to use later?"

"Oh grow up Malfoy it wasn't that bad!"

"And people are actually chasing you around the school because they _want_ a kiss!" he cries, wandering away. Obviously he couldn't understand why people would want to kiss me, but I personally think he's missing out. I mean, he might be a good kisser but I'm not bad myself- not that he's paying any attention. "They must all be under a spell or something!"

Spell! Well, in a way, that was kind of true. Everyone was acting really weird today. "That's kind of what I've been thinking," I admitted, and he turned around holding up a finger to indicate that I should be silent. "Oh come on Malfoy, we both know that I'm not going to stop speaking."

He shook his head, eyeing me suspiciously. "Your voice is more tolerable than your fucking singing. So what kind of potion did you use Granger? A love spell, or a lust? Perhaps it's a combination of both. It had to be something mighty potent to make all those men chase you around earlier- that's what this is about, right? They chased you because… because they feel the same intolerable draw to you that I do now."

"Well none of them seemed quite as unhappy as you do."

"Most of them don't really realize that they're craving a monster. You're too far below my standards to even consider."

I roll my eyes. "Malfoy, it's not like you're on my list of perspective boyfriends either. And do remember, you're the one who kissed me."

"It's because you started bloody singing!" His eyes grow dark, and his hands ball up. I can tell that he is frustrated.

"Like this?" I teased, opening my mouth to sing. He'd thrown a silencing charm my way before I could do anything. Luckily for me, unlike when I was being squashed by his fat self, I've practiced silent magic enough to get this spell off without a problem. Moving a whole person though is a bit more difficult.

I suppose I could've just moved my wand earlier, but that wouldn't have given me the satisfaction of punching him. No, I definitely like how I handled it better than how I _could've_ handled it.

He was already booking it by the time I'd taken the spell off, and I watched him go with bemused eyes. Malfoy was still a prejudice child at heart if he was so horrified at kissing me. I mean, he'd been around with his fair share of women.

Come to think of it, maybe I should disinfect my mouth. I have no way of knowing what he last used his tongue for… yuck.

Watching him go, I let my mind wander. Was this all based on my blood status, or also on what he'd just done in the library? Would others start reacting this way as well if I sang, or merely if I spoke? This called for some major investigating, and leaving my things at the table I headed off in search of all the books I could find on Siren's. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll know something by dinner tonight.

Or at least, it's nice to dream.

* * *

I entered the Great Hall for food later with a bounce in my step. Researching was a pleasure for me, and after delving through the numerous books I discovered earlier today I now have a vague idea as to how I can handle things, or at least try to. No one ever said my plans were foolproof.

Everyone is looking at me uncertainly as I enter. It's not silent, but there's an awful lot of muttering as people talk amongst themselves. The majority of the males have their eyes trained on me, and I remind myself to just accept the attention. If I've become what I think, then I best be getting used to it for a while. Sitting across from Harry and Ron I try to ignore their gaping mouths.

"You look lovely Hermione," Harry stammers, pushing his glasses up his nose. Right, unexplainable beauty is supposed to follow this Siren business, but I don't believe that part yet. I'm an average girl, but no supermodel. I don't have the drop dead looks that those books discussed.

"Hi Harry," I say sweetly, catching the attention of several of the males around, including Ron. Merlin, under different circumstances I would be enthralled to have his full attention, and especially happy to see his table manners improving. I suppose it's just an act though to appear appealing to me in my current state. _Men_.

I've come up with an ingenious (or possibly completely batty) way of trusting things out. The Great Hall might be a bit of a brazen place to try things out with all of the teachers present, but I won't back down just because of that. They rarely pay attention to anything unless something peculiar seems to be happening, and nothing should draw their attention immediately. I do have to put things in motion.

I'm still expecting to have to speak to the Headmaster later about the events from earlier. May as well add this to the list of "_things for discussion"_.

"You know," I begin, keeping things simple, "I would really like a roll."

I have about six rolls thrust at me from different boys, and one eyebrow shoots up. Well, it really doesn't take any effort to get them to do things. How interesting. Accepting one from Seamus to my right, I smile gratefully at him.

"Thank you."

"Anytime," he agrees, looking me over. There go those damn elevator eyes again. "Do you want anything else Hermione?"

"Oh, perhaps some of the jam over there," I say lazily, grinning like a Cheshire cat as another guy further down the table tries to join into the battle of the foods, as one jar is knocked over in the rush to get to the delicious purple topping. I sit idly with my hands hiding my mouth, the grin hidden from view. Ginny, Lavender, Luna and Padma all look extremely confused, but I don't offer up an explanation to them just yet. It's pretty hard to explain things to people when you yourself don't quite know what's going on.

The rest of my meal arrives on my plate in such a manner, and I'm amazed at how aggressive these boys can get over handing me some food. Twice I told Ron and Seamus to calm down, and twice they turned into swayable, lovesick puppies at my mere command. It was interesting, but a tad sickening. Didn't they have any self-control or self-shame?

I'm ignoring the glares from the females at my table, especially those with a boyfriend. It's not my intention to steal their man away from them, but I can't quite help it. My voice does what it pleases apparently.

But I've discovered if I keep my voice low it doesn't attract the attention of the entire hall. Well, that's a good thing at least. I don't want another frenzied chase breaking out. That's not the point of my experiment. I just want to see how much of a hold it has over the men I speak to.

About halfway through the meal I end up lip-locked with Seamus when I turn my head, whose face was eagerly awaiting mine, and the situation is quite awkward. Unlike when I ended up pinned beneath Malfoy, this is not a private affair. Half of Gryffindor grows silent at the interaction, and I pull away almost immediately.

Yeah, that wasn't part of the plan Seamus! Now I've got a bunch of angry men and confused women glaring my way, and all he can do is sit there and look like he's won the lottery. Merlin help me, everyone is losing it.

"What gives Hermione?" Ron says, eyeing me darkly. "Why did you kiss him!?" His voice is louder than mine has been thus far, and draws more attention than even the kiss did. Neighboring tables glance our way, and from between Ron's and Harry's heads I see Malfoy looking on. I wonder how long he has been staring.

"Ronald, he kissed me," I corrected, taking a long sip of my pumpkin juice. Too many people are staring at us now, and I'm getting hot under the collar. The plan was to handle a section of people at a time and see how everyone reacts, not take on the entire school again. Last time that didn't end well for me. "And… I… I don't know why he kissed me."

"Because you wanted me to," he purrs, tracing lines on my shoulder but I push his hand away, a bit disturbed. I definitely should've sandwiched myself between two girls, at least on this side of the table.

"I wanted no such thing!" I snap, pointing a finger his way. He holds up his hands in mock concern, but he's still eyeing me. Blast Seamus, can't he think about anything else?

Well, I'm sure the rest of the men I've been haphazardly flirting with have the same idea. Maybe I should've given this a bit more thought before taking on the whole cafeteria… a classroom tomorrow may have been a better choice.

I eye Ron, trying to think my way out of this situation as non-oddly as possible. My two best friends sit across from me and the majority of the hall has resumed talking- or at least muttering- about the situation unfolding. I think it's time to make a run for it, and I can do a lot of plan-revising in the safety of my room. But I don't want a mob following me.

"Harry, Ron," I say sweetly, hoping that Ron's aggravation doesn't get the best of them, "Would you walk me to my room please? I'm not feeling too hungry anymore. Everyone else," I continue, glancing at the men who are waiting to be eagerly acknowledged, "Please stay here. I don't need everyone accompanying me."

My friends get up like lovesick dolts with hearts in their eyes, and I can see Lavender and Ginny glaring daggers at me as the three of us stand to leave. Of course they don't like that I'm dragging away their love-struck boyfriend and potential boyfriend, but I'm way more concerned about how Ginny will react than Lavender. Several of the men at the table appear to want to follow anyway, and I actually shove poor Neville back into his seat. I just don't want to be followed by the whole of Gryffindor.

A lot of eyes follow us out, and I try to ignore most of them. But I can't help glancing back towards Slytherin, wondering about a certain blonde prat with sinfully soft lips. He's watching me with an unexpected fire in his eyes, and I fear discovering what that means. It's a look that's not filled with hatred, or obvious lust, and it's something I don't completely understand. Maybe deep down I don't want to know what it means. Turning away, I march out a bit faster, eager to be away from everyone.

Unfortunately being away from the Great Hall doesn't get me away from everyone. I took Harry and Ron along in case I wander into a stupid man on the way, but also for company's sake. I've avoided them all day, and now I've barely been able to have a conversation with them since all those men were looking on. Truth be told, I'm not sure how a real conversation with them is going to go in our current states. They have lust in their eyes (which is not that welcome) and I'm confused by what's happening to me. We certainly make an odd trio.

It gets worse when Ron tries to kiss me. I'm tired of kissing people today, and if that's what people are going to try every twenty minutes I may as well wear a mask.

"What are you doing?" I snap, stopping him from continuing right there in the hallway. He seems perplexed that I'm stopping him.

"Kissing you," he says, stepping back. "It's what you want isn't it?"

"No, I-"

"Because you like me right?" he presses, looking smugly at Harry, who I can't even see with the way I'm turned. "You've always liked me and now that I want to be with you you're shooting me down? I don't get you." He reaches to grab my arm and I step back from the both of them, giving myself space.

This is so awkward. I really should've just brought Neville.

"Trust me Ron," I say bitterly, "You _don't_ want me." And sadly, I know it's true. Our relationship failed miserably, and though I do wish that he would love me I know that this, whatever the Siren nonsense does to a person, doesn't create love. He isn't in love with me he's just entranced by my voice and whatever is happening to me. I might want to believe that he really wants to kiss me, but in the end I'll be selling myself short. It would hurt more to admit later that I played us while I had power over him, that we pretended to be in love, than to accept head on that he doesn't love me anymore.

"How do you know?" he challenged, stepping closer, and I demand that he takes a step back. He does so, and I look away sighing.

"Please just walk me to my room," I say, using a different tone of voice. They don't seem entranced by this, and I'm thankful for it. I don't want any more awkward conversations right now.

We get to my bedroom entrance without another strange complication and I bid them both goodbye. I don't hug them, I don't look at them, and I tell them to leave in the sternest voice I can muster. They say nothing to retaliate, and I wait until their footfalls grow quiet before entering my sanctuary. I'll lock it tonight to ensure none of my friends try to come and see me. All I want is space.

Inside I slump on the sofa, wondering what the hell I've done to myself. Trying to play with this unexplainable magic was stupid to begin with, but have I lost my common sense? I think that my intelligence is being tried if I thought that the Great Hall was a good place to test things out. I mean seriously, what's wrong with me!?

Getting up I walk to my bedroom, staring into the mirror. Earlier I frightened myself by looking in this mirror, and I hope to not make the same mistake again. Blinking twice, I watch my brown orbs morph into blue, pale iris', something that caused me to stumble and fall earlier. This isn't natural.

My hands rest on the dresser in front of me as I observe my pale blue eyes. In a way, they're a bit like Malfoy's, though his are more grey than blue. But these eyes are not mine, and never before have I had my eyes change simply by blinking. It's alarming, and I made certain to not double blink earlier at dinner. Merlin knows what kind of trouble that would've caused.

I have to admit, this entire situation is pretty unsettling. My voice doesn't seem to be the only problem anymore, and to think, this all happened in the time of one day. Whatever is happening to me took its toll fast, snuck up on me without warning, and I can only imagine the reasoning behind it all. Actually, scratch that, I can't imagine anything right now. I'm too frightened.

I don't appear to have any control over what's happening, and that's something I'm not okay with. This is my body, my thoughts and my soul and I should have some say in what's happening. But for whatever reason I'm helpless, unable to do a thing. I may as well just sit here and brood the rest of the night at this rate. I might suspect that I'm a Siren, but a lot of good that's done me. Now I only have more to puzzle over.

Tapping catches my attention, and I tear my eyes away from the mirror to glance towards my bedroom window. An owl is flying outside, trying to get in. Rushing to the locked opening, I allow it in, noticing that the creature had beauteous dark feathers. I also notice rather quickly that it's carrying a note, and I dread to know who it's from.

This is not an owl I recognize, and that alarms me even more. Picking up the letter I notice that it's not addressed, and without waiting for a treat the bird takes off again out the window into the September air. Well, it certainly was in a hurry.

Deciding I don't have much to lose I break the seal and take the note out, realizing it's just a small slip of paper. Why the sender couldn't just roll this up and attach it to the owl's leg I don't know, this is a waste of an envelope. Pushing that aside I try to focus on the words, cringing at what I read.

_We have patrols tonight, don't forget. I might not want to see you, but there's no way in hell I'm doing all this alone. Gag yourself or something to keep from talking, and the night will end quickly. Oh, and if I have to give a bunch of morons detention for following you around with that horrendous love-struck look in their eyes I promise you I'm going to be sick. So try and keep your stalkers at bay, would you? I don't want to wander around seeing a bunch of twat's batting their eyes at you. Dinner was bad enough._

_~Malfoy_

_P.S.- Don't reply, the last thing I want to is mail from you. I'll see you at the usual time, the usual place. And once more, do try to not say anything, won't you?_

I feel quite livid. He's a jerk, an arse at times, but he made this situation worse than it already is. If there's a bunch of men out tonight then there will be problems, but I'll be handling it not him. I don't want to be stalked, that's for sure.

I do hate Malfoy at the best of times, and what's worse I completely forgot about patrols until reading this. I can't believe Malfoy of all people reminded me! He should technically be in a worse mental state than I am, considering that he's the one who kissed me and not the other way around. Oh, I'll never understand that prat.

Wandering back to my bed I fall upon the mattress, groaning. Could today get any worse?

* * *

**A/n:** Hi there! So I've decided to continue, as I'm quite keen on the topic I've come up with. Thanks to everyone who favorite/reviewed/followed this story, it means a lot! And please, do keep it up! We authors live to know what people think of our work, as we really don't have any other way of knowing if our work is good or if we're improving.

I'd like to bring up a few points though before leaving this A/n finished. For one thing, this story got the most reviews I've EVER had for a first chapter at one time -32- and that in itself is astounding. So thank you.

As for the story, I'm starting college soon so I probably won't have as much free-time as I like to think. For one thing I've never taken college classes before so this is a whole new experience. Updates should be about once a week, maybe every five days if you're lucky and eleven-fourteen days if I'm swamped. But I have the intention to see it through. As for length, nothing is determined yet on story length and the chapters aren't going to have a set length, just everything will be more than 2,000 words. Past that I don't know.

Thanks for reading this my lovelies. I'm trying something new with responding to reviews again, so please go leave one. It helps.


	3. Gravitation

**A/n**: Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! **Note:** Titles are based off the quotes at the top of the chapters now!

* * *

_Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love._

_-Albert Einstein _

So I'm pretty sure Malfoy is trying to imagine me as someone else. He hasn't used my name since we met up for our rounds, and he keeps muttering under his breath. I stomped on his foot _accidently_ within the first five minutes, and all he did was thank me for not saying anything. This really couldn't be more awkward.

We haven't run across anyone while patrolling, which is awesome since he is in such a stubborn mood. I think our little kiss session is still hot in his mind, though I don't think he's completely hating it. The Mudblood comment has yet to slip out his lips. No one, and I mean no one, understands how pleasant this truly is for me. He's never been quite so quiet.

Since we've decided to avoid talking unless necessary, this gives me the needed time to think about what's happening. I've kissed Malfoy, Ron and been stared at by the entire school in the course of a day. It makes me sound like a sleaze, but this really isn't my fault! However, that doesn't mean that none of this didn't happen. I have been kissed by too many people and now I'm wandering around with Malfoy. I don't quite think the complications will ever end- or at least not until I figure out what's happening to me.

I really should go to the Headmaster, I should, but I just don't want to. I mean, this is strange enough and if these strange siren powers decided to kick in… I think I would have to kill myself. I mean, I love Dumbledore, but it's all just way too weird.

"Granger, run away." I'm pulled from my thoughts by that prat, who has wandered several feet ahead of me. Joining reality once more I continue walking towards him, placing my hands on my hips. Now what?

"For Circe sake Malfoy! I know you don't really want to-"

"Shh!" He turned around and shook his head at me, but it was too late. I quickly realized what he'd been indicating towards and clamped my mouth shut, cursing my luck. Three stray boys were wandering around the corner, looking no older than fourth year. Well, it's better than seventh years at least.

But they're all male… and I just spoke.

Well, shit.

"All of you," Draco said, turning back to the trio, "It's past curfew! You realize that you're going to get a detention each for this, right?"

He was trying to distract them from me, having picked up almost immediately after our kiss that my voice did strange things to the male population. And the closer someone is, the more affected they are. Why couldn't they all be females- or at least one of them? They weren't paying a bit of attention to Draco, no matter what he screamed at them. I could tell that it was getting on his last nerve.

"He's speaking to you," I say, lowering my voice. This technique doesn't diminish the effect of my voice entirely but it does lesson the effect on people. "You heard the Head Boy- each of you get a detention! Take your slips and off with you!"

At least they listened like the boy's from earlier, and they took their papers from a fuming Draco and left without a word. Once we were alone in the hall again, he turned and looked in my direction, shaking his head.

"I don't know what it is with you and all the fucking guys here, but stop that!"

"Stop what?" I ask, arching an eyebrow. "I'm not doing anything."

He groans. "We talked about this- don't talk."

"Actually, you declared it and I simply complied until right now. I'm not going to stop _anything_ if none of this is my fault! I didn't do anything to _try_ and make every guy in school follow me like a puppy."

"They certainly follow you, but it's not in a puppy-like way."

I bite my lip to keep from snapping at him. Damn Malfoy and his sharp tongue. And why is he so observant? After that awkward moment the other day I figured he would avoid me as much as possible.

"How do you know what they followed me around like?"

He scoffed. "Did you just decide to forget about the incident in the Great Hall earlier!? You're lucky professors were around, that's all I have to say."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're so blind," he snapped, turning and stalking away. I note that his hands are balled up, and wonder if my voice is affecting him as well. It would make sense, even if I find that creepy. I mean… it's Malfoy!

"I'm not blind!"

"Oh, Granger, you're blind. Completely and stupidly blind."

I'm offended now. Did that jerk just call me stupid? Rushing forward I cut him off as he goes around a corner, stopping directly in front of him. He stiffens once I'm there, eyes rooted above my head. I place my hands on my hips, studying him.

"I'm not stupid Malfoy. But I'm not a guy either. I don't know what's so entrancing about my voice. Or at least, not yet."

"It really doesn't help my self-control when you stand so close," he says through gritted teeth, continuing to look above me. I take a few steps back, wondering if I should draw my wand. I mean he kissed me last time- which was disturbing in many ways- but who's to say this time he wouldn't hurt me? Given our past, I wouldn't doubt it.

Then again, he seems more lust-driven then vengeful lately.

"Far enough?"

"Granger, I'm fucking serious. If you don't stop talking I will do something I regret- again."

Considering that he doesn't look threatening, I assume that means he might kiss me again. While he might kiss like a seasoned pro I think it would be way too awkward to go down that path once more. Besides, I'd rather stop wondering why he kisses so bloody amazing to begin with. Nodding my head I lean against the wall, tapping my wand as I wait for him to calm down. At length he does- though it takes many minutes- and he paused to rub his eyes. Well, at least he's calm- for now.

This siren bullshit is tricky business.

We finish our rounds in peace, though I can tell there's a lot on his mind. As soon as we finish I go to ask what's on his mind but he bolts away, leaving me alone. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood to talk. Deciding he's not worth the chase I turn and wander back towards my dorm, tired and in need of rest. Too bad that won't be happening, since I need to spend the rest of forever figuring out everything I can about siren's, how their traits work, and how to control them. Once I've got that hefty amount of information stored in my head, I'll be able to sleep. It should only take a few days…

Less than three minutes later I run into someone I could really stand to avoid- Theodore Nott. Personally I don't know that Slytherin seventh-year all too well, but he does hang around Malfoy's general circle of friends, which means he most likely hates me. I want to give him a detention, I certainly do, but I fear to open my mouth as he wanders towards me. Malfoy is gone now, and I'm all alone with a Slytherin I barely know in a dark corridor with a voice that's going to end up killing me.

Maybe having Malfoy around wasn't so bad, even if he is a prat. At least he's a prat that can properly dish out detention without being attacked by kisses! Though I'm sure Nott wouldn't be penalized if he was around, considering that they're from the same house. Come to think of it, I don't think he even gave those fourth years a point dedication from their house last time!

It's apparently a little weird that the strict Head Girl in me doesn't stop Nott for being out, and he calls out to me once we've passed one another. "Rough night Granger? Don't think I've ever seen you so quiet."

Oh goody, confrontation. Why do all Slytherin's have to be like that? I bite my lip and keep walking. If I talk he's going to act like everyone else, which means I'll have to threaten him within an inch of his life and then suffer whatever consequences follow, then I would rather just hurry on by. He's not a fourth year boy; he's a seventh year and a Slytherin at that. He's probably dangerous.

"I see!" he calls, trying to egg me on. "Ever since you got every guy in Gryffindor to do your bidding your backbone disappeared, aye? It's quite nice to see that Gryffindor's Princess is spineless now! Draco was right!"

I halt immediately, hands balled into fits. Spinning around him I eye Nott in the dimly lit corridor, my anger rising. "Malfoy told you what!?"

My voice has the effect on him that I expected, but he seems to try and shake his mind clear, just like Malfoy does. Maybe it's a Slytherin thing? "He told us you're all over him. It's disgusting. And not only that but you're totally making everyone do things for you, all the guys in the other houses are eager too. So now you don't need to be strong, because you've got everyone at your beck and call. Didn't ever pin you as that type of woman Mudblood."

Oh, I'm so going to kill him. "That… that twat! Wait until I get my hands on him!"

Not arches an eyebrow, something I barely notice as I turn to stomp off, but his voice halts me. "You're kind of hot when you're pissed Granger. Maybe that's what everyone finds so attractive in you. It's obviously not the way you look."

"Ugh!" I storm off without waiting to hear his response, not caring one bit if everything he said was a lie or not. I had to get to my room before I lost it, and that meant no more arguing. Nott might've avoided jumping me like everyone else, but for how long? Even Malfoy, who is technically the one with the most control (surprisingly) around here, jumped and kissed me in the end. Nott's known for being a dominant partner in bed, even being kind of mean. I'd rather _not_ end up beneath him in a dark corridor.

My skin crawls the entire time until I'm safely back in my room. Nott's creepy no matter what time it is.

But now that Malfoy's gone and begun blabbing things to the entire school, I'm going to have to have _another_ talk with him. This is exactly the sort of thing I didn't want him to do! Of course, I could always try out my newfound powers on him and see if I could twist him into not telling such idiotic lies...

It's not a lie though, is it? He's just repeating some of the events that happened between us. Merlin that's just awful. Hopefully none of this gets back to Harry and Ron- or anyone for that matter- and it can all just be ignored. Maybe if I speak in a different tone for the rest of my life I can avoid this situation.

Probably not going to work either. People would wonder about me, and I'm really not ready to offer answers to anyone when I don't know anything myself.

Sitting on my bed, I contemplate my problems. I'm going to have to deal with my upset friends tomorrow and my jealous friends alongside that. Harry and Ron would be upset because I didn't go along with their silly advances last night and Neville, Ginny, Lavender and the rest of the lot might be jealous for one reason or another.

Why me? Why couldn't someone else discover that they're a mythical creature? I have more important things to do with my time than figure out why the hell this is happening to me. I'm supposed to be a muggleborn, and now this is happening? Something definitely isn't right.

Oh, heritage. I'll definitely need to look into that. I doubt this is a trait you just "pick up" out of the blue like sewing or laughing a certain way. This is a voice altering pain that's going to make my life hard. I'll have to remember to research that as soon as possible, but right now it's not going to happen. I feel drained after today. It's been long, tiresome, and confusing.

Sinking into my sheets I will the world away. Maybe someday I'll wake up and this will all be an awful, somewhat humorous dream.

* * *

The following day I sit at the end of the table for breakfast instead of in my normal seat, trying to stay on the down-low this morning. I decided dealing with my friends and peers might be awkward this morning, and instead of pretending like I'm awake enough to handle it I sit at the end of the table, stirring my food but not really eating it.

Sleep came in a short spurt last night. I was out for roughly an hour before I woke and couldn't slip under again, so reluctantly I got up and found something to do. The most obvious thing to do seemed to be research, since I don't know about my problems. Unfortunately what I pulled up didn't help much.

According to Greek mythology sirens are beautiful creatures with lovely singing voices that were irresistible to sailors, who sometimes happened upon their deadly reefs. If that happened the siren's would sing a song, lure the sailors to their deaths and cause the boat to crash and sink. I also read things about the men being eaten but I'm not too sure about that.

But Greek mythology is beyond old. What I dug up on wizarding sirens seems a bit more… evolved.

From what I can gather, sirens in the wizarding world can pass as basic people for years. Although I have yet to discover an origin, it does seem that you can pass as a regular mortal or wizard for years before having strange events- like the ones I'm dealing with- happen. The books said these creatures grow to become surreally beautiful (something I don't actually believe) with voices like silk that can lure men to their deaths or (in my case) cause them to do your bidding. But lust is a powerful force and can sometimes take over the desire to please said woman. So basically, if I speak too long to anyone they might try something stupid, stupider than Ron's sloppy kiss or Theo's taunting.

However they are also a bit like Veela's, something I'm not too happy to dig up. Veela's have a mate, one true person to be with forever like a soul mate. And they go searching for that person. Modernized sirens seem less interested in causing havoc and death (according to the books anyway) and are more focused on finding a mate. Which I'm really not into. I don't even want a mate at this age.

Nonetheless, that's what the book says. Sirens voices are so sweet because you want to lure in the weak to pick off and find the strong in a sense. Men who have bad ambitions, simple crushes, or who aren't interested at all fall for your voice easily and can be swayed. Apparently, you want to look for the person who can't stand you and that's to be your mate.

In my case, that's Malfoy. Now I know the book's lying. The day Malfoy and I are mates is the day Voldemort resurrects again. It's simply impossible. I'd think that it was maybe Theo, but our sarcastic conversation that lasted less than two minutes doesn't seem like liable proof. Therefore, I'm eliminating him. Now I just need to eliminate Malfoy and get rid of this problem all together. Then life will be peachy.

So in essence, I have siren traits to find a mate. There has to be more to it than that though! If that were the case, it could be classified under Veela and I wouldn't need to have an enchanting voice! I'd just be amazing looking, which might also get annoying after a while.

Oh yeah, there was one last thing that I read. Sirens have a limited amount of time after coming into their voice to find a mate- one year. After that time, your voice takes on the same essence basically that the sirens from mythology had, and you're forced to step away from society lest you cause numerous fights, deaths, and tears amongst couples. Basically if I don't find my mate I might as well accept a life of solitude.

Bloody fucking hell. What am I supposed to do now?

* * *

**A/n:** There's a bit of an explanation on sirens! More will come in the following chapters. I start college on Monday- yikes!- so that's when it might get a bit hard to update on time, but I'll try! Please leave a comment, they do help! I love knowing what you think!


	4. Confused

**A/n:** Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! **Not yet edited. Chapter titles are now based off the quotes placed at the beginning of each chapter.

_Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation._

_-Edward R. Murrow_

* * *

I've spent the last few days moping, and for Merlin's sake I believe I have every right to. My world has been flipped upside down, I have to talk in different tones to avoid being jumped by every guy in school, and my mood keeps spiraling downward. Well, wouldn't yours too if you discovered you have a year to be free before you might have to disappear into solitude due to your bloody voice, and there's a slim possibility that your mate might be someone you completely despise? Yeah, I've hated this last week.

To make matters worse, I came to the conclusion a couple days ago that I should really ask my parents- specifically my mother- about what's happening to me. I didn't just randomly become a Siren from something I ate! No, I've been told that I'm a muggle for years now, and although I am perfectly happy with my heritage I smell something fishy. Did my parents hide something hideous and awful like this because they didn't know how to tell me, or because they didn't know?

Owling them would be best, yet I find it impossible to put my quill to parchment and write what I need to. I think that since it's still so hard for me to process, it's also equally hard for anyone else to as well. Granted, no one else really knows, but hey, at some point people will find out, and I'm not looking forward to that.

I've been shunned from my friends, no surprise there. Ginny and Lavender are quite peeved about what happened the other day, and Ron had to go and open his big mouth and say he kissed me, so now Lavender wants my head on a stick. Oh bloody joy.

Malfoy I've been avoiding like the plague. He's completely different from everyone else, and I hate that. I'd rather he chased my arse around like everyone else at this point so I can eliminate him from my potential mate list. The thought of bedding him makes me shiver, and no, it's not in delight!

I've done more research on the topic. Once I'm mated with my match- so basically, once we've slept together- the Siren effects go away. I have yet to figure out how one acquires these traits, and what the best methods are to deflect them on a day to day basis. What I really don't understand is why I capture so much attention! If I'm looking for my bloody mate, then wouldn't it be a better idea to have a case where everyone in Hogwarts wasn't out to fuck me whenever I opened my big mouth? This seems like all it's going to do is make my mate jealous to no end- whoever he is.

Maybe that's the point. That's quite possibly even worse.

Basically I've been holed up in my dorm aside from classes, and I've even begun to take my meals in here- anything to avoid talking to the people outside. Every day my voice gets a bit more powerful, and really it's beginning to wear on me. There has to be more to being a Siren than just finding a mate. But I don't know what that is yet.

A sudden knock on my door startles me, and I'm drawn away from my potions homework, even though I haven't started a single line of my report on our latest project. I've been too lost in my thoughts. Now however, I have to get up and see who's come to bother me. Hopefully it's not Ron and Harry, who came by the other day to see if I was alright, and once more I almost got kissed. It's getting really old, really fast.

I really don't want to punch my best friend. But if he tries again, I might just have to. It's for the better really. He'll ruin his relationship with Lavender if he keeps doing this. Not to mention that any chivalry that I've created between myself and his girlfriend will disappear if that happens again.

I really hate my life right now. Peering out, my heart practically drops. Okay, so it's worse than Ron and Harry.

It's Malfoy. Oh, if only someone would kill me now! I can't talk to him!

"I know you're in there!" he calls, causing me to jump. I didn't actually think he would speak. "It's not like you'd be anywhere else."

"Go away!" I call back, moving away from the door. "I don't have anything to say to you."

He grumbled something I couldn't quite make out before speaking again. "You're such a pain. Would you open up Granger! I've got something for you!"

"Now I really won't open the door!" I reply, sitting back on my sofa. That whole sentence sounds like a big problem to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if he shot me with a water spell or something once I cracked the door open. No, that was probably to low-key for Malfoy's standards.

"It's not from me you daft bint!" he cried, and my cheeks coloured at that. Oh, he was going to get an earful! "Dumbledore is making me bloody deliver this to you!"

Dumbledore, ay? Well, that sounded quite strange. Why would Dumbledore have Malfoy delivering things to me when Hogwarts has more than enough owls to use for such tasks? "I don't believe you!"

"I didn't ask you to! Just take it, will you!? It's charmed to my bloody hand until I give it to you!"

That makes me smile. So maybe Dumbledore found a creative way to punish Malfoy for something. Giving in I wander back to the door, peering out once more just to see Malfoy waving his arm about, trying to get an envelope off of it. It was quite comical, and I finally relented and opened the door.

"Having a problem there?" I joked, his eyes immediately sliding over to mine. Without saying a word he yanked up one of my arms, shoved his envelope-invaded hand against my own and pulled away, relieved to see that it didn't follow. I nearly dropped the letter as I started laughing at the relief on his face, buckling forward a bit as I did so. The prick decided that it was a good time to let go and I almost fell over.

He saved me, the bloody bastard. He grabbed my hips when he realized I was going to tumble and saved my poor head from the unforgiving stairs below, righting me as quickly as he could. I expected him to draw away but instead his hands lingered, his eyes running over me.

Oh no, not more of this.

He leans in as though against his will, his body saying yes but his eyes screaming no, and I place a hand on his chest to keep him at bay. Unlike Ron, who seems to have very little control when I'm around, he stops, staring at me.

Oh shit, this is beyond awkward. We are way too close, his breathing is too heavy, and his heart is going way too fast. I want to break away and hide inside my dorm, but something holds me there, and it's not his hand. My uncanny interest in things is peaking through.

What if he is the one, my supposed mate? Does kissing him feel different from kissing someone else? I don't remember much from our first kiss, other than it being way too intimate and incredibly scary at the time. I hadn't known what was going on then, and I didn't know much more now.

I almost kiss him, curiosity picking up before I realize what's happening to me and I stumble away with a gasp, falling inside my open dorm room door. He's staring down at me with large, round eyes.

So he noticed my slip up too. Well, hopefully now he will run away and hide in the Slytherin dungeons forever and I can avoid him…

"Did you just try to kiss me?" he asked, sounding quizzical. I blinked several times.

"You tried to kiss me first you idiot!"

"Well, I stopped. You're the one that tried to continue it!"

I rolled to my knees, snatching the fallen letter off the steps outside my room. He took the opportunity to hop- yes, literally _hop_- over me into my room. I spun around angrily on the floor.

"Get out of my room Malfoy! You have no business being in here!"

"Well, don't try to kiss me! My lips don't need to be soiled like my hands already are."

I'm fuming at that, up on my feet in an instant. "You're a big bully, you know that? You tried to kiss me first, so don't even try to turn the tables! Do you mind explaining that one?!"

He huffed, looking around the common room of my dorm with a bored expression. "Granger, I don't fucking know why I tried to kiss you! Whatever's gotten into me is probably the same thing that's gotten into every other male in the school! What did you take, a lust potion or something!?"

So, he really is noticing how off I am. Looking away I try to collect myself, shutting the door to the dorm to avoid prying ears. I set the letter aside, folding my arms across my chest defensively.

"I did nothing of the sort. Trust me Malfoy, I don't know what's going on."

"Really now? Is that why you hide every twenty minutes and barely speak anymore? Because, honestly Granger, no one's noticing the differences."

I roll my eyes, knowing that's a lie. Everyone's noticing the differences in me lately, just no one really brings it up. I think everyone is too confused to try to put two and two together. It's not like they would get the right answer anyway- lust potion my arse!

I'm not trying to seduce anyone; my voice does it for me.

Come to think of it, he's holding up fairly well except for that almost-kiss. Well, I guess I won't have to worry about that happening again anytime soon, now that he's come to his senses.

Before I can respond he speaks again, for apparently I spent too long thinking. "I heard you didn't give Theo detention the other day despite being out past curfew. Any reason for that?"

My eyebrows knit together. "Is that really any of your business? I have my reasons."

"Or your ways," he said, suddenly smirking. "I wonder what Nott had to do to get out of detention from-"

I chuck the closet object I can find at his head, which just so happens to be a vase, one that I've never actually filled with anything. It misses by about ten inches. I guess my punches are better aimed than my long-distance throws. No matter, he's now got his wand drawn in self-defense.

"Granger, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you feeling quite alright today?"

No I'm not. I feel overwhelmed by what's happening to me, and I'm not sure that this letter from Dumbledore is going to make things better. I'm now a Siren with no control of my voice, I make men fall to their knees if it means I'll give them some affection- which really isn't as great as it sounds- and my friends are completely conflicted on how to picture me at the moment. Hell, I'm conflicted about myself at the moment!

He's just standing there, waiting for me to respond. Do I have to?

"I'm fine," I lie, doing my best to glare in his direction. Out of all the people at Hogwarts, Malfoy is the last person I'm going to spill my emotions to. He needs to take a hike and stop getting so close to me, and things would be better. I could focus on other problems, not centralized around him. "Why do you even care?"

"Because you're remarks are lame, you're throwing things instead of replying logically, and you look like you're going to break down in a moment. You're calm demeanor is not there today. I can't help but wonder why- I'm curious by nature."

Curious by nature, that sounds just like me. Only I'm certain Malfoy will use anything I say to taunt me instead of consolidate. I don't need his comfort, and I get the feeling that he's just going to play me.

Or maybe I don't want his comfort because I might try to kiss him again and discover whether or not we're mates. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it.

"I'm fine," I say again, straightening out. "My remarks are _not_ lame, just diluted. I thought for once I might give you a chance to win an argument. I threw something at you because you're invading my living space, and I would very much like you out. Don't try to pretend that you actually give a shit about me Malfoy, because I won't buy it. You'd sooner tear me to pieces and laugh at me alongside your friends than listen to my woes. So if you'd be so kind, do get out of my room. I have no desire to have you here."

If he was upset by what I had to say he didn't show it, and merely rolled his eyes and he wandered towards the door. He gave me a shove as he sauntered past, electricity shooting through my body at the touch. Was that there earlier, and I was just too preoccupied to notice when he grabbed my hips?

Malfoy notices too, and looks highly alarmed at the sensation. Dropping his relaxed swagger he bolts from my room, letting my door bang against the wall as he disappears. I don't grab the door, not immediately, not until he's out of sight.

As I close the door again I sink down against it, glancing briefly at the letter above my head. As if I'm not messed up enough, now I have a concerned Malfoy? Something is seriously wrong with the world.

I don't reach up for the letter for quite some time, and when I finally do it's on my way to bed. I feel drained, confused and ultimately worn out. I flop into bed, still fully clothed before I even try to read the letter, and I'm asleep before I even get halfway through. I suddenly feel very drained, and have no problem slipping into unconsciousness.

I wonder why that is.

* * *

Dumbledore's letter turned out to be an informant telling me that if I ever had anything to discuss with him that all I needed to do was visit his office. Of course I already knew that, but I think the letter was sent as more of a propellant than anything. Of course Dumbledore knows something is wrong, but like the all-seeing Headmaster he is, he wants his students to come to him in their own time without the need to be forced. Considering nothing awful has happened to me yet, I guess it isn't urgent else he would intervene. If something bad does happen though, I'm sure I'll hear from him.

Potions in the morning is a killer. I take a seat at the very back of the room to try and avoid people, sitting opposite the door. Since the war ended the house rivalries haven't been as taunt as before, but they're still in place. Slytherin's for the most part are hostile and keep to themselves, but a few brave souls branched out lately and some even sit on the Gryffindor side of the room. There will be enough space over here for me to sit, and hopefully no one will plop down next to me.

The room fills up as expected, and although several guys glance at my seat I make it a point to make sure they don't sit there. Harry ends up towards the front with Dean, and I've just begun to wonder where Ron's gone to when someone removes my bag from the chair and I look up, irritated. Of course it's Ron.

Apparently my hostile behavior is angled towards everyone but him, or at least in his mind. Malfoy ends up in front of me beside Nott, and Zabini and Parkinson sit in front of them. I think the Slytherin's sat there just to irritate me.

Malfoy sends me odd looks just before class begins. I don't know what to make of them, but it almost looks like there's hostility in his eyes.

Snape begins with a long lecture, one which half the class seems to not be listening to. Ron's chair is rather close to mine, which is directly next to the wall so I can lean against it.

I nearly jump out of my chair when a hand slides up on my upper thigh. No one notices, save Ron, who's looking at me with lust filled eyes. What the hell?

I push his hand off. "Inappropriate much?" I hiss, sitting straight again. His hand is back in an instant, pushing at the material of my skirt this time. My eyes widen and I grab his wrist, glaring.

"Stop that!" I hiss, glad that everyone is currently preoccupied by something happening in the front of the room. This seems to only increase the lust in his eyes, and my own widen in alarm. Shit, I just can't do anything right lately!

I don't want to really make a scene, but he has to keep his hands off of me. It's probably my voice that's making the lust inside of him rise, so I shouldn't say anything. Which is going to be hard, since I'm trying to discretely get him to let go of me without causing a scene at the back of the room, and he's completely ignoring me now, sliding his hand further up my skirt.

Bloody hell. So if I don't say something what will end up happening? I hate getting stuck, and this situation is worse than any that I've had with Malfoy! Merlin help me, I'm going to spell my voice soon if this madness doesn't cease.

Ron's hand makes a fairly steady train up my leg, brushing the bottom of my knickers before I manage to reach my wand- very non-discretely- and whip it under the table, hissing a curse to push his hand off. Nott and Malfoy notice something behind them and glance back, but I can't tell if they actually know what's going on.

Malfoy looks more concerned than he should be. I don't really like that either. I shove Ron away and lean against the wall again, peeved.

Looks like avoiding Dumbledore and keeping this ridiculous problem to myself isn't going to happen. If my brain were functioning right I would probably just get up and walk out, but I'm too perplexed by what just happened to actually get up and move. Ron's gone numb beside me.

He's not a bad guy, he really isn't. In fact he's never done something so inappropriate until this siren trait kicked in. And if Ron, one of the kindest guys I know can be persuaded by the sound of my voice to go so brazenly far, then I fear what it might do to someone with a darker viewpoint on life.

I won't wait any longer. After class, which ends in just a few minutes, I'll go straight to Dumbledore's office and tell him what's going on. I've gone numb now, frightened about what this could all lead to. What if it takes me a year to find a mate? Will bullshit like this keep happening and endanger me? I certainly hope not!

Nott gets up a few moments later to grab something from the back, passing our table. His eyebrows shoot up as he passes, and I wonder why. Numbly, I glance down and turn scarlet. My skirt never slid back to its original place, and is showing way too much leg, and way too much of my knickers! I might not be considered a whore, but I don't wear panties like that of a sixty-year old woman!

Good Merlin, today can't get any worse.

On my way out of class I spot Ron and Harry, and Ron is pulling Harry away as quickly as possible. No doubt he needs some consolidation just like me, and he's going to confide in Harry. Me, I'm going to go speak to Dumbledore and leave out as many awkward, uncomfortable details as possible.

I need to learn how to control this. My sanity depends on it.

I glance over my shoulder briefly before rounding the corner, unfortunately catching Malfoy's eyes. Merlin I can't catch a break. But what I see reflected in his eyes isn't amusement from Nott telling him what he had seen beneath the top of my table earlier or disgust even.

It could only be described as anger, and something tells me it wasn't directly angled at me either. I had a feeling, a terrible feeling, that it was directed at Ron. Now I really need to get up to Dumbledore before something truly ridiculous happens.

* * *

**A/n:** Darker chapter for many reasons. Dumbledore is going to start figuring things out, and Draco's going to have odd attraction problems in the future. And please don't worry guys! Ron really isn't a bad guy here; he's just so locked into her voice he doesn't realize how far he's going. He did have a crush on Hermione before, right?

It'll take a humorous turn again soon, I promise!


	5. Denial

**A/n: **Thanks to my newfound beta **Hunter's Heir**!

* * *

_You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory._

_~J. Donald Walters_

After my talk with Dumbledore, I feel only slightly better. Although speaking with the Headmaster about such topics was a bit strange, I found that my voice did not affect him even when I changed the tone. Best thing that's happened all day.

He informed me to be very careful once I finished explaining. Although I thought that what I came to tell him would be a big surprise, he only seemed mildly surprised by the power my voice has. But the Siren part didn't strike him as being too terribly odd. I take it that he knew of this beforehand, or at least has heard of other situations like this throughout his lifetime. As long as I'm not the first of my kind, there's hope.

When I finished giving him a summary of what's been happening to me- leaving out the two instances with Ron and my untimely kiss with Malfoy- a twinkle appeared in his eye, and the first thing he said is that I should contact my parents. I've already owled them though, specifically my mother, and have not heard back. I'm beginning to worry that there's a reason behind that.

Dumbledore told me that if I need to go home over the weekend sometime to speak to my parents about this then it's perfectly acceptable to do so. I thanked him for the opportunity, wondering if I'll have to do that if my mother doesn't come through soon. I can't really fathom why she's so reluctant to answer, seeing as I've been raised as a muggle my whole life. Deep down I keep hoping that my parents will be just as startled by these events as I am, but I'm worrying that that's not the case. I think they've hidden something from me.

Thankfully, the Headmaster gave me a neat little potion. It lasts for roughly six hours, and will alter the sound of my voice during that time. He gave me a starter bottle and the amount to drink, handing over the ingredients and instructions on how to make it as well. This is the best thing that's happened yet, for now I can sit in the Great Hall and attend my classes without the fear of being bothered by every male in the room. And, if I so chose, I can influence them with my Siren voice for a bit too. I now have some control over what's happening to me.

The only part that's still really throwing me off is the bit about me having a mate. Now, I'm all for finding love someday, but not like this. I don't want to end up with someone because a Siren trait says we're compatible. I want to choose who I'm with, and do it through love whenever that time comes. But I don't think I'll get that choice anymore. It's either mate up with my one, perfect soul mate or live in solitude. I already asked Dumbledore if I could use the potion after my year is up, and he said no. The power of my Siren traits will overpower the potion and it'll prove useless.

Well, it was worth a try anyway. So essentially, I still need to use the next three-hundred and some-odd days to find this person I'm supposed to be with, who very well might not even go to Hogwarts. I'm so screwed.

I also learned that although everyone else will hear my voice as something different when I'm under the influence of the potion and won't notice, my mate will hear it the same as if the potion wasn't there. So I can still go on this ridiculous quest to find my mate, even while I elude the rest of the school and keep my sanity. Brilliant.

He also instructed that I tell my friends, but I can't muster up the courage to do that yet. When I come up with a way to break the news I'll let them in on my secret, but not until then. I already know Harry, Ron and Neville aren't my mates, so there's no problem there. I can have friends again once I explain myself and my bizarre behavior.

Dumbledore told me his office is always open if I ever need to talk. Considering how messed up things are at this point, I'll probably have to take him up on that offer. Ginny will certainly be the hardest of my friends to win back over, considering I've had my best friend's boyfriend eating out of the palm of my hand for days. I wouldn't be too forgiving either, and I might just need advice on that.

The last thing Dumbledore gave me before sending me off to my room for the rest of the day, excused from my classes, was a personal book of his on Siren's. It's a rather old book with yellowing pages and I'm extremely excited to get my hands on it. This might hold additional facts on things that these newer books fail to mention. I can't wait to read it.

Now, all I have to do is hide out in my room the rest of the day and make several more batches of this voice changing potion. Then, I can go back to ordinary school days, while trying to find a mate I don't want. Go me.

* * *

I'm sitting in my room later, trying to finish my last batch of the potion when there's a knock on the door. I distinctly remember telling Harry and Ron at dinner that I had a lot to think about tonight and needed to be by myself, so why am I being bothered now? Why people can't let me be I don't know, but I really wish they would bugger off. Not to sound mean, but I need to get myself mentally straight before speaking to anyone else. I have to wrap my head around all this new information.

Grumbling I get up and head towards the door, reading part of the Siren book as I walk. I'm sure it's my best friends coming to make sure I'm okay, but I just can't talk right now. I need to get this last batch done so I can continue reading before I pass out, tired from this troublesome day.

I don't even look up as I open the door, immersed in the text I'm reading. "I know you want to talk guys, but I really have a lot of homework to do. Can we do this another time?"

"Wow, you were even going to turn down Potter and Weaselbee? What chance do I have at talking to you now?"

My head snaps up at the voice, knowing this is neither Harry nor Ron. He's looking down at me with bored eyes, sarcasm dripping from every word that just slipped through his lips. Why didn't I check to see who was at the door first? Twenty minutes ago I was counting my blessings that I didn't have patrols tonight and could spend all the time I needed reading and making the potion, catching up on schoolwork too, and now here he is, butting into my time again.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, narrowing my eyes up at the blonde. He's made more trips up here in the past week than he has since school started, and I'm really beginning to hate it. Doesn't he understand that I don't want to see his face every hour of the day?

He shrugs, something passing through his eyes briefly. "I think we should talk."

"I think you should leave," I snap, rolling my eyes as I move to shut the door, but his hand catches the frame and stops me. I snap the book shut, pressing it to my chest. Well then.

"No, we really need to talk," he insists, pushing the frame back again easily. I take a step back, eyes widening. Oh Merlin! I've been talking to him this entire time and I completely forgot that I haven't taken any of that potion Dumbledore gave me! Now I'm in for a horny Malfoy, hurray for me.

But it's not lust clouding his eyes as he easily slips past my overwhelmed figure, gliding into the room. There's no raw emotion, passion, or anything of the sort. Although his eyes looked bored when I first glanced at them, a new emotion has come to play. Now, he looks both uncertain and angry, maybe even a little confused.

A confused angry Malfoy? Oh Merlin, what did I just let into my room?

"Out," I snap, pointing a finger at the wide open door as he sits leisurely on my chair. "I did not invite you in!"

"Well, you're never going to actually invite me in," he reminded, leaning back comfortably. "I figured if I didn't get in while your guard was down I never would."

"Well, so long as you know that I'm not completely dim," I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Now, do you mind? I was in the middle of something."

"I'm sure Weasley was in the middle of something today too. Didn't realize you liked to sit at the back of the room for that reason Granger."

For a moment I'm confused, having not seen the blonde pass by at all during class earlier. Then it clicks- Nott passed the table and saw my skirt up high. Malfoy must've pieced that together with my strange behavior all class and came to an awful conclusion. Good Circe, why did Nott have to tell him about that of all things? Why even bother?

Instead of staying nice and composed like I should, my cheeks flush and I kick the door shut, fearing that people down in the library might be able to hear us. I set the ancient book down before I do anything else, scared of damaging it.

Then I chose to lob one of my parchment rolls in his direction. The item hits him square in the head, thankfully wrapped only around itself and not like a scroll. The prat still rubs his head as though he's injured.

"Mature, Granger."

"You have no business talking about that!" I snap, balling up my hands. I'm standing on the other side of the table, maintaining some decent distance between us.

"Hey, don't get your knickers in a twist Granger. I've done the same thing in class a time or two. It just doesn't fit in with your prudish attitude."

"Would you shut up!?" I cry, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. Surprisingly, I feel heat rushing through me, but not to my cheeks. I'm getting hot, feeling light headed, and I have no idea what's happening to me.

"All I'm saying Granger is that what Nott told me sounds very sketchy. It might even explain why you were so jumpy throughout class."

"Are you insinuating something?"

"I'm hinting towards something. I'm going to take a wild fucking guess and assume that you didn't make the first move."

"How the hell would you know? You sat in front of me, pretending to pay attention throughout the entire period. Your back was to me the entire time."

"Maybe my eyes never saw what was going on, but I do have a pair of ears. It wasn't hard to hear what you were saying in a quiet classroom."

My heart stops and I step away from him until I'm against the wall, cheeks flushed red now. I need the support, and I fear what he's going to turn this into. "What are you getting at?"

He stood, eyeing me as he walks a few feet, putting us in a direct line with one another, no obstacles in between us now. "Telling someone to stop because their acting inappropriate doesn't sound like consent you know. What was actually happening?"

My eyes widen and I nearly topple over at that. He's…. concerned? What the hell? Of course, I can see why things were taken out of content, the situation looking worse than it was. It makes Ron out to be the bad guy, the evil one with bad intentions. When in reality, it's mostly my fault.

The fact that Malfoy picked all of that up, recalled the exact words that slipped from my mouth, is a bit startling. He had to be listening intently all class, though I can't fathom why. Why would he care what I have to say to Ron?

"It's not what you've made it out to be," I say, choosing my words carefully. "Trust me, you don't understand what really happened."

"Then what really did happen?" He inquires, stepping forward before he takes two steps back. He shakes his head, briefly looking at the floor, as though he doesn't understand what he's doing. I don't really get what's happening either, but for a moment I wonder if we're both thinking the same thing; why did he care so much?

"I think you need to butt out of my business," I say, crossing my arms as I step away from the wall, feeling a hair less overwhelmed. These strange feelings are still coursing through me, and I would be quite appreciative if they would stop. I'm so not comfortable with this. "It has nothing to do with you."

"But what if it does?" he mutters, catching me off guard. I don't quite know what to say to that, and watch his body language briefly. He's still looking perplexed and unsure about what he's saying, as though he's not even sure why he's up here anymore. These routine trips must stop, because each time they leave me feeling strange and confused about everything.

Malfoy still has a potential at being my mate. The sooner I can dash away the possibility, the better it'll be for us both. I think my voice is starting to take ahold of him, as he's started to rub his head, but I can't be sure. I mean, he hasn't even jumped me yet.

I take the initiative, my mind working a mile a minute as I step towards him. He's now watching me with guarded eyes, body tense as I approach. Indeed, I can feel my limbs stiffening the closer I get, anxiety eating at me but an unknown force pulling me to him.

That's a lie actually, I know what's prompting me to walk closer, ideas forming with every step. I need to remove the possibility of Malfoy being my mate from my head once and for all, and there's one surefire way to do that. All I have to do is test it out, watch him back away, and then I can stop fussing over him, and he'll hopefully stop coming up here. I'm just hoping he doesn't brand me completely insane after this.

He doesn't pull away when I wrap my arms around his neck, only watches me with those liquid silver eyes of his. I wonder if I hit my head or something and just don't remember it, because I can't think of a time when I've ever been brave enough to openly kiss anyone, even people I'm attracted to. But I want to move on from this dilemma, and I press my lips to his quickly, hoping that a short term kiss will banish my concerns.

It has the opposite effect.

Fire attacks my insides, and I don't know what the hell is happening. The contact is nothing like I've ever experienced before, even the first time we kissed when he fell on top of me. Then I was worried about getting out from beneath him, and now I'm trying to convince myself that he can't be my mate at all. But the fire coursing through me says otherwise. I want to deepen the kiss, and that's definitely not what my intention was.

Then again, he wasn't supposed to respond either. His hands are on my waist, pulling me tight against his lean body, deepening the kiss even as I consider the notion. His tongue is inside my mouth, dancing exotically with mine in a way that I've never experienced before. My hands somehow found a way to work into his hair, pulling softly on the silk locks.

My initial plan is evaporating, and I'm going with it, getting lost in the intense feelings that I didn't expect to feel. I was supposed to disgust him and have him pull away, but instead he responded to my lips passionately. Warning bells go off in my head and I ignore them.

It doesn't take too long for my body to start craving more when he fists my hair, and I know I can't stay in this Heaven. I'm getting pulled in, losing myself to the feeling of it all, and I barely even understand why it all feels so fucking amazing. Reluctantly I break the kiss I began, dropping my head to rest on his shoulder. He's gripping me too tightly for me to pull away, and I'm too out of breath from making out with my enemy to put up the struggle.

Let the battle begin.

He actually massages the tender space on my scalp that he's made sore from pulling on my hair, resting his head on top of mine as our breathing calms down. My arms are still locked around his neck, left there because it feels right, but I can already feel the moment breaking. His body, which relaxed once I kissed him, is stiffening up again, realizing what he's done.

His hand snakes out of my hair, moving to my shoulder. He gently pushes me off of him, keeping one hand on my waist. I drop my arms from his neck, expecting him to either start yelling or to bolt from the room.

Surprisingly he does neither, and just watches me with tense eyes, drinking in my form as they move from my head to feet and back up again. Our breathing is normal once more, the fire in my blood still a dull ember as reality sets in. He doesn't look angry like he did the first time we kissed, but confused.

I wait, waiting for the eruption of emotion, confusion, anger, but it never comes. Instead he drops his arms, robotically leaving my dorm without a word. I watch him go, eyes blank until the door clicks shut behind him. Once alone, I place a hand to my chest, feeling my heart still pounding erratically there.

He didn't scream at me, which concerns me greatly. I fear that as I slump down on the chair beside me, that the reasoning behind that is more than I can bear. While I felt a fire ignite inside me from that kiss, pressing me to continue on in my dangerous passion play, he was just as eager to kiss me as I was to kiss him.

Perhaps, just maybe, the same fire burned inside him as well. Which can only mean one thing, and I'm not sure if it relieves me to know what I think I know, or if it scares me.

Draco Malfoy just can't be my mate. The universe will implode.

* * *

**A/n: **Hi there readers! So here's some development :) I tried to get in what seemed write, but my document decided to delete itself halfway through writing this so I had to rewrite the entire thing today. Hence why there are no PM's this time around. Next week though for sure! I hope you guys like it and keep those reviews coming! I don't think anyone understands how inspired I am with this story.

Frequently asked questions:

I don't know if I will write anything from Draoc's POV or not. This is kind of Hermione's story, what with her finding out about her Siren heritage and all, and of course finding her mate. As the story progresses he'll have more involvement and there will be a lot about their relationship, but at prior I have no intentions of writing anything from his point of view. That can always change though. I really just see this as Hermione's story.

There will be a protctive Draco, which you sort of saw here. There will be a lot more about that as the story progresses.

I don't know how long this is going to be. It's based entirely off of how the story flows. Since I wrote the first chapter on a whim, I didn't really have a plan XD

It's not going to be a dark story like the others. There will be more humor and romance than I usually write, with a bit of mystery plot. But it's not really dark. I didn't even have an intention of making Ron a bad guy. He was just swayed by the Siren influences, that's all.

If you have anymore, you can leave those in your review too! I'll try to reply individually to zero-in on all those questions as it goes on. And thank you to everyone who keeps the feedback coming! It's actually helping me to keep those story from traveling down a dark path :) So, until next week lovelies!


	6. Passion

**A/n**: Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**!

_Lust's passion will be served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes._

_~Marquis de Sade_

I'm pretty sure I'm more nervous about this morning than I have been any other time in my life, and that's including the war and the first day that I was chased around by lust driven men. Today though is like the moment of truth for me.

I'm going to take that potion Dumbledore gave me, and if someone is still acting funny then I know that they're my mate. Deep down inside I'm just hoping that Malfoy goes back to acting like his normal, irritating self. I can't stand being chased again, much less considering the idea that he might just be my mate.

Last night was a fluke, that's all. In the book Dumbledore gave me I read that Sirens can induce additional lust into the people they kiss, upping their sex drive. So in essence that may not have even been Malfoy's real feelings, but actually something induced by me just being there.

I hate being a Siren. It's bloody complicated. However, there are some benefits to things.

For one, Sirens can do wordless magic a whole lot easier than a basic wizard can. Of course, that also means that the Siren has some sort of wizard blood in them, which I obviously do. After reading that tidbit I tried it on a book across the room, putting a lot of energy and focus behind my actions. The book flew across the room so fast to me that it actually knocked me off of my bed. I've been a lot gentler with things since then, and I've found that I don't need to put as much force or effort behind things when I do magic. It's just natural for Siren's.

Now if I can master doing wordless magic too, I'd be super excited. Then I could duel anyone and win. I think that would be a fun thing to be able to do, just in case I ever needed to defend myself or kick Harry's butt in a dueling match. It could be some fun stuff.

Of course, for every positive there's seems to be something negative for me to discover.

Sirens are oddly enough considered pure, despite the fact that they use their voices to traditionally seduce men and lure them to their deaths. A modern day Siren is like a Veela apparently though, and is outlandishly beautiful and hard to ignore. I have yet to see this trait develop. But that's not what I find interesting.

Initially, modern day Sirens are pure in the sense that we have a kind heart. Most Siren's don't use their voices to lure people to their deaths anymore (and those that do often pay the ultimate price) but instead have very pure hearts. A legend from inside the book says that dark beings looking to get rid of their pasts can cut open the torso of a Siren and stab themselves, using a spell that will literally transmit the darkness from inside of them to the Siren. If that happens, the person can go free to start a new life away from the troubles of their past and the Siren dies.

Of course, that's just a myth. But it's also a bit troubling. I don't know how much truth is actually behind it or not but I'm going to watch my back just in case. I'll definitely have to ask Dumbledore about it at some point. For now though, I can't focus too much on it.

To top that off, I have yet to hear from my mother. I've sent another letter, hoping that she will respond. It worries me when she doesn't, for I don't know if something has happened or if she just wants to avoid my question. Either way, it's a bit troubling.

I try to block that out as I take a seat in the Great Hall. I've said a few things to people while coming down the stairs, and so far the potion seems to be working wonders. I just hope that if my mate does indeed go to this school, that he doesn't happen to have a head of fine blonde locks.

"Hey Hermione," Harry says, nodding in my direction as I sit down. "You look well today."

He's avoiding using any sort of complimentary words I notice, and that might have to do with the glaring redhead beside him. Blast it, Ginny's never going to get over Harry's random lust for me. She might actually hold this over my head until the day I die. Lavender doesn't look eccentric about having me around either, but what do I expect from her exactly? I mean I did date Ron at one point, who is currently eating everything in sight.

I'll have to make up things with Ginny somehow, and I think I know the perfect way to do it; girl talk and gossip. Ginny loves those types of things, and though I doubt that I'll muster up the courage to tell her the truth I can try to get back onto good footing with her at the very least. She is ultimately one of my best friends after all.

"You too," I say, pausing with bated breath as my eyes scan the length of the crowded table. No one looks up at the sound of my voice, adjusts their trousers or winks my way. My voice is ordinary again, boring.

Best day ever! Now I can actually try to learn something in class. I waste no time filling my plate, glad that I can now eat without being watched. Today is shaping up to be a good day.

Lavender's talking in secret to Ron, whilst Harry and a few other blokes are stuck in a Quidditch conversation with Ginny a few minutes later, and I find myself gazing around the hall, not really looking for anything. It's so nice to have a pleasant breakfast that I can't even consider getting up yet. I'm too elated to be treated like a normal person again. I'm so lost in my self-proclaimed glee that I barely notice him watching me, until my eyes drift back over the room again and I spy them once more. Now I can't ignore his gaze.

Bloody Malfoy is stealing glances my way all the time. I hadn't noticed until now, but we're close enough that I can see his eyes clearly, the dark silver sheen there just as it was last night. In fact, he's got that same lustful look about him again.

Oh fuck, you're kidding me…

My potion doesn't seem to be working on Malfoy, and I take a large gulp of air, watching him with clouded eyes. Should I stand my ground and dare him to keep looking at me or bolt from the room? He might just be trying to fuck with my head after last night.

But the look is unmistakable, and I can't deny the lust in his eyes. That only means one thing.

I refuse to believe it.

* * *

I end up late to my first class of the day, having stopped in the hallway to speak to Ginny, who was less than enthused that I wanted to hang out. After a lot of arguing and name-calling I convince her to come and spend time with me later tonight so we can gossip. I think she's missed my presence, even if she's extremely pissed at me. Hopefully tonight we can smooth out the creases in our relationship and be the best of friends again.

Or maybe she will go off on me and tell me how horrible I am for trying to steal her boyfriend. One of the two.

Potions is my first class today unfortunately, and I'm about five minutes late for the class. Snape practically glares daggers into my head as I slip in the door and search for a seat. Harry and Ron got swarmed by some of our friends and failed to save me a seat. They shrug from their shops, sheepishly looking around. Then I realize where the only seat left is and I almost turn and leave again.

I'm not sitting next to Malfoy. We might actually end up killing one another.

_Or kissing. We do a lot of kissing._

Internally, I tell myself to shut up. I can't believe I actually just thought of that.

"Are you going to take a seat Miss Granger or go back out the door?" Snape asks, raising an eyebrow at me. I sulk over to the seat beside Malfoy, pulling the chair away from him as far as possible before I drop my head onto my desk. There goes my perfect day.

Snape explains the assignment, which I only half listen to, and several minutes later I'm being poked in the side. Looking up I notice Malfoy, who's looking at me with a mixture of lust and confusion. His poor head probably doesn't know what to think anymore.

I just want him to drop the lust bit, that's all. Then I'd feel a whole lot better about things. When I finally look his way he's pushed himself against the wall, glaring daggers at the opposite side of the room.

"Go get the ingredients," he says through clenched teeth, and I cock an eyebrow.

"Why don't you? You seem like you can't wait to get away from me."

"I'm going to the bathroom, once your arse gets up and leaves. I wrote the ingredients down, since you were too busy dozing off on the desk to do anything."

"I didn't doze off," I snap, rolling my eyes. "I do not _sleep_ in class."

"Of course not," he grumbles. "Just go get them."

With a sigh I relent and go get the items, deciding I'd rather be out of his presence for a few minutes than spend more time beside him arguing. He's gone out of the room before I even get to the potion's cabinet, and I don't dare to consider why he had to rush out of here so quickly. The very notion makes my skin turn pink.

I won't think about it. That sounds like the safest measure.

When he returns we set to work, with Malfoy stealing glances at me every other minute. I roll my eyes, ignoring him as we continue, trying hard to think of other reasons why he might be acting so strangely.

And more importantly, I want to know why _I'm_ acting so strange. There's a strong pull in my body to get closer to him, and my heartbeat keeps accelerating whenever he leans over to grab something. This isn't just the typical butterflies-in-stomach theory, because I've had that before and it feels nothing like this. I want to kiss him again, but that's _so _not happening. I need to get over these weird feelings I'm having for Malfoy.

Giving in I move a bit closer to him, and it only increases the fire inside of me. I need to touch him, feel him, kiss him. Hell, I want to devour him, but I won't allow myself to do anything like that. Maybe Dumbledore's potion has weird side effects or something, because these feelings can't be my own. My mouth starts watering, and I press my legs closer together.

Holy hell, I think someone laced my drink this morning. I'm losing my fucking mind trying to not touch him. When we finish and turn our assignment into Snape I bolt out of the room, barely remembering to grab my things. I need some space between us.

I go up to my room where I know I'll have privacy, flinging myself down on my bed. I'm hot all over, still thinking about jumping Malfoy. And worse, the thoughts are starting to take a cruder path, going down trails I almost never think about. Perhaps I should do some more reading, but I don't think I'll be able to focus on the words until I can cleanse the ache inside of me.

Daringly, I do something I never do. The raging hormones won't cease, and I realize that this adrenaline rush is more than toxic attractions; it's lust. I want Malfoy for reasons I can't comprehend, and I think he had the same gravitational pull towards me today.

This can't be happening.

Dropping my prudish front for a moment I wiggle out of my shoes, undoing my blouse and flipping up my skirt to find a release that I usually avoid. Pleasuring myself is something I've never had a need to do before, even when I was with Ron. I just never felt so hot under the collar and feverish for anyone, and it's severally fucked up that Malfoy is the first one who can get these emotions to range inside of me.

As I find a release, my mind wanders. I took a potion to cover over my voice, right? So why now am I suddenly lusting after the enemy? And more so- why can I no longer control myself? If I'm going to end up in a frenzy like this every time I get too close to the git, I may as well not go to class at all. I'm already embarrassed enough for what I just did.

Sitting up, I clean my bed and straighten the covers again. I need to read deeper into that book Dumbledore gave me, and discover what exactly is happening to me.

* * *

I manage to stay on the opposite side of the room from Malfoy the rest of the day, avoiding looking his way as often as possible. I can't help doing it occasionally though, considering that there's still a dull ache inside of me. This also makes paying attention in class quite difficult.

But the classes I don't have with him are easy. I'm not distracted, lustful or wet. I'm perfectly at ease and complete my work in a timely, perfect manner like I used to. I wish he wasn't in any of my classes.

Unfortunately, that's just a dream, but I manage to make it through the day without having to go up to my room again. Before long dinner is over and I'm back up there again, cleaning up the space. Ginny will be over any minute.

I'm not looking forward to this talk like I should be. I really just want to continue reading the book from Dumbledore and make up an excuse why I can't see her, but that's not okay. I need to try and mend our friendship since things happened that have fractured it in many places. At least Ginny is a girl though, and I don't have to take any more of the potion. As far as I can tell I don't attract women. I wonder why that is.

I won't see Malfoy the rest of the night though, which is a plus. I can fret about today's events once Ginny is gone though. For now, I have a friendship to mend, and I hear someone knock on my door. Deciding to be smart for once I peer through the peephole, seeing that it is indeed Ginny. Fantastic.

"Hey," I say, letting her in. She replies coolly, still unsure about me. I don't blame her, but I wish she wouldn't be so icy. We have been friends for a long time after all.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asks, sitting down on my couch. I sit as well, crossing one leg over the other.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Harry," I say, deciding to take on the elephant in the room instead of dancing around it. "I didn't mean to steal his… attention."

"You stole his affection for a bit too," she snaps, glaring my way. "He and Ron and every other fucking male in the school wouldn't shut up about you for days! Do you even know how infuriating that is?! I don't know what kind of love potion you took to make everyone lose control, but cut the shit. You've made a lot of enemies by stealing the attention of everyone's boyfriends."

"Trust me Ginny, I didn't want to."

"Oh, and I'm just supposed to believe that you were forced to seduce everyone or something?" She shook her head, standing up. "Hermione I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it's not funny. Harry and Ron are a bit confused lately and I'm pretty sure it has to do with your behavior."

"I wasn't doing anything!" I argue, defending myself. Really, I wasn't trying to do any of this.

"Sure," she spat, shaking her head. "Did you know that Ron boasted about kissing you to the entire Gryffindor common room the first night? Lavender had a fit! I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to kill you or… burnt all of your hair off with a spell."

"Ginny, I'm serious, I'm not doing any of this intentionally."

"Then tell me the truth," she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I would love to hear your story. What kind of tale can you spin Hermione, because you can't convince me that you aren't doing this by choice! No one ever forces a person to take a love potion."

"It's not a love potion! Ginny, I didn't-"

"You shouldn't have called me up here if you don't have anything to say," the redhead snaps before I can finish. "I don't know if this is some bullshit so that you can confide in me since you don't have any _real_ friends right now, but don't expect pity from me. You crossed a line Hermione, and it's one you can't easily cross back over."

I'm stuck between a rock and hard place now. Maybe I should just show her somehow that I'm not lying, and go out and prowl the corridors until we find a boy. I could take the potion after speaking for a few minutes and she would see a difference. But no, that would be too risky. I'm constructing an idea in my head even as she turns to leave.

"Ginny-"

I stop short at the sound of tapping, turning to glance towards the window. An owl sits out there, looking at me expectantly as the sun sets. It's the same owl that I sent to my mother, and briefly my spirits lift. So she finally responded.

During my distraction Ginny got to the door. I turn around as it slams shut, finding that I'm now all alone again in my room. Sighing I sink onto the couch briefly, wondering why I do this to myself. Now it will be even harder to speak to my friend, and I got so caught up in what I should say to her that I never actually explained anything. Emotionally I'm a wreck, and it shined through just now when I couldn't even get my friend to stay with me.

Turning back to the window, I try and brighten at this glimmer of hope. Perhaps my mother sent with her some sort of hope, maybe even an explanation to what the hell is going on. I let the bird in quickly and feed it, letting the owl perch by my bed. I fall down on the mattress, unfolding the paper as quickly as possible without tearing it.

_Hermione~_

_Is everything alright? We've been swamped at work lately and I haven't had the time to get a decent response back to you. I'm so sorry about that dear. Now about your letters, I'm a little concerned. Did you hit your head or something at school? What's all this talk about Siren's?_

_Your Headmaster sent us a letter as well, stating that you can come back home soon if we really need to talk about things. I think you should take him up on the offer. I'm worried about you honey, talking about Siren's and persuading men to do anything for you simply by the sound of your voice. That's quite dangerous, and things could go seriously wrong if you don't handle this correctly._

_As to what I know of about all this, I haven't a clue. I've never heard any of this before. No, darling, I'm not part Siren or anything of the sort. I'm a muggle woman. _

_The Headmaster also mentioned ancestry. I don't really understand what's going on right now Hermione, but please come visit soon. I'm quite concerned about you, as is your father. This sounds like tricky business. When you come back we have our family tree here as you know, and you can take a look at it. Perhaps there's an answer there that your father and I don't see. Is there something I can look for here to help you figure things out until you can come home?_

_At first I thought perhaps you'd hurt yourself at school and we should have your friends bring you home for a bit, but now I'm wondering what's really going on. I'm concerned for you honey. Please be careful and do consider coming back home to look things over. Your father and I would also like to see you and help you if at all possible. _

_Be safe honey._

_Love,_

_Mom and dad_

I almost tear the letter up. Sure, it's great to hear from my parents, but at the same time this is extremely depressing. I was so hoping that my mother had a secret, that she knew what was going on and that she could help me understand. But from the looks of things, she's never even heard of the things I mentioned. I don't know how my parents can help me if they don't even know what I'm talking about.

Sitting there on my bed, I almost start crying. Today was supposed to be a good day, a day where I could actually figure things out and have a normal day. But instead everything went to hell and just got more complicated. What do I do now?

Glancing away from the letter, I spy that book Dumbledore gave me again. I won't reply to my mother for the time being since I'm so emotional for fear that I might say something I regret. But I do want to keep reading. More than anything else right now I just want to understand the things I'm feeling.

At this rate, I might just have to visit Dumbledore again before going to class. Unless that book offers up some answers, I can't imagine having yesterday repeat itself. And tomorrow all of my classes have Malfoy in them. Lucky me.

* * *

**A/N: **This one is kind of a developing chapter. There will be more Dramione and more explanations on the Siren-thing next chapter too :) And I know the incident with Hermione and Ginny wasn't ideal, but think of things from her perspective. Thoughts? Let me know!

I'm still undecided about two things guys; a sex scene and a Draco POV chapter. I know you all think there should be a Draco POV chapter, but I'm not entirely sure. If you have an opinion on sex getting incorporated go ahead and let me know in a review!


	7. Truth

**A/n:** Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**!

* * *

_If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything._

_~Mark Twain_

I already know today is going to be a bad day. It started out bad, and it's only going to get worse.

When I woke up this morning my eyes were a different color. I skipped breakfast hoping that the effect would wear off like normal, but unfortunately they never turned back to my usual brown. They're still stuck blue, and I ended up putting an illusion on them to hide the color change all day.

On top of that, I'm already feeling hot under the collar. As soon as I walk into my first class with Malfoy I'm already tingly, and I take a seat at the farthest point in the room from the moron, avoiding him as best I can. But despite the fact that I'm not even looking at him, I'm still immensely turned on just knowing he's in the room.

What the hell is wrong with me? Things are seriously getting out of hand, and my thought process is-nonexistent this morning. At some point Ron asks if I'm alright and I just shrug him off, not trusting myself to speak. Whether or not I took the voice-altering potion this morning doesn't matter. I don't want to talk for fear of what I would say.

In the end, I beg the professor to let me go up to the Infirmary because I'm feeling ill. Apparently my appearance sells the story and I'm free to go. Planning to just use the rest of the period to go upstairs and pity myself I turn around and note something curious; Malfoy isn't in the room anymore.

So why do I still feel this way? Am I just going to be hot under the collar now that I've seen him once today? Bloody hell.

I'm making my way back towards my room when I spot him, stalking from the bathroom. He's close enough to me as he exits that I can see his eyes, how dark and lustful they are this morning. I slow down despite myself, eventually coming to a stop directly in front of him.

This is dangerous territory, yet I continually find myself here. Blimey, I can't help myself when the attraction is this strong.

I don't even try to stop him when he grabs my arm and pulls me out of the hallway, into one of the many alcoves located around the school. I don't protest when he shoves me backwards into the nearest object, crushing his lips to mine.

I do nothing to stop him. The action is so terribly wrong, but so deliciously right at the same time. And my arms are locked tightly around his neck, my lips kissing back with the same force, proving that I don't object to his actions.

This kiss moves faster than the last, and his hand is up my blouse toying with the edge of my bra before I realize what's going on. I pull away from him, breaking the contact, and slowly we fall back into reality. His head rests against mine, deep grey eyes staring into my orbs. He pulls back then, giving me a funny look.

"Since when are your eyes blue Granger?"

I pull my arms away from him, reaching up to brush my eyes. I drop to my knees, digging through the contents of my bag to find a mirror. When I find one I check out my face, and brown orbs stare back at me.

Slowly, I look back up at him. "You see blue?"

"Yes. I never noticed it before. Are you trying out some funky make-up spell or something?"

Shaking my head, I sit on my bum, the world coming crashing down on me. From the not-so light reading last night through Dumbledore's book I know that if a person can see your true eyes despite magic that can only mean…

I look back at him again, his curious eyes looking down at me, waiting for an answer. The truth that I've been ignoring for days is falling down on me now, staring me directly in the face. All the signs that have pointed back to Malfoy have been ignored up until this point, even despite our feverish kissing the past couple days. Now, I can't keep ignoring the truth.

Malfoy is my mate. Fuck me.

Looking back up at him, I gulp. "Would you care to… come upstairs with me? We… um, need to talk."

He looks a little confused by my question, but I'm sure that the notion of going upstairs after our heated kissing is what drives him to agree. "Sure."

I nod, getting slowly to my feet. "Oh… good."

* * *

"So… are you ever actually going to speak Granger or is this some annoying joke?"

We've been in my room for nearly a half-hour now, and I have yet to say anything since arriving. I can't help it. Internally I'm having a breakdown, for more reason than one. Actually, it's an array of things;

_Malfoy is my mate_

_I conquered the biggest part of being a Siren pretty damn fast- I found my mate in about a week of coming into my traits_

_I now have to seal the deal with Malfoy…_

_I have to actually explain things to this twit _

_I have to accept that he's my mate and that if I don't go through with this I can kiss my life good-bye and go live in the hills_

The book didn't actually say what happens if your mate denies you. Would that result in death or something? Do I only get to run away to a life of solitude if I _don't _ find my mate?

Merlin, my brain hurts. If only Malfoy knew what kind of internal battle I was going through, he would probably be a bit more understanding. But, he has no idea, and therefore sits there with a quirked eyebrow as I panic.

When I fail to respond, he speaks again. "Are you going to calm down Granger? You look like you're going to go into hysterics at any moment."

"I am calm," I say, speaking for the first time in forty-five minutes. "As calm as I can be."

"You didn't bring me up here for a therapy session, did you? I thought the implication of coming upstairs meant something else."

Of course he did! "No, I didn't. Just give me a minute Malfoy."

There goes that bloody eyebrow again; shooting up as he internally criticizes me. Really, I had to end up with this bastard for a mate? He's probably going to puke when I break the news to him, after he gets done laughing his arse off. The Pureblood bigotry inside of him won't allow him to even consider me as a mate. That's the way things work in the _Pureblood _world.

Why did I want to tell him the truth again? Oh, right, because I'll have to do it someday.

Maybe I'm taking things way too fast. Maybe if I waited a few extra days for the lust to continue to build it would seem much more logical to explain shit to him and I wouldn't spend so much time here panicking.

Or maybe I would lose my nerve. Sitting down in a chair I sigh, looking his way.

"Have you ever heard the term 'Siren'?"

"Like the Greek mythology ones? Sure."

"Have you ever heard of any other versions of Siren's?"

"I'm sure there are other versions, but unless you have a certain type in mind I don't see why it matters. Actually, I don't see how Sirens can be a topic here at all."

"Would you just answer the question Malfoy?"

He rolled his eyes. "Only the Greek myth ones. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about things that don't exist."

Oh he is so in for a wake-up call. I'm about to retaliate when something occurs to me. He might laugh at my attempts to explain such silly things to him, but perhaps he can't argue with fact if he read it somewhere. "Hold on."

"Is this a joke?" I can feel his eyes watching me as I leave and head to my bedroom, picking up the book on my bedside table. I turn back to him, watching his eyes watch me as I come back, sitting directly beside him this time.

"I want you to read this."

"So this is a joke."

I slap him, and the shockwave that it sends up my arm nearly has me pouncing on him again. I really need to remember to not touch the git if I want to keep my sanity about me. "It's not a joke."

Malfoy seems just as effected by the hit as I am, and it takes several moments for him to respond. When he does, he keeps his eyes tightly closed. "What good is reading this book going to do me?"

"It might help explain some… things… that haven't been making sense. I've been getting a lot of answers that I don't particularly like from there."

"Did you cast a spell on me or something?"

Well… "In a way."

His eyes open up and he spins to glare at me. "No wonder I'm acting so weird! I-"

I place a hand on his arm, attempting to calm him. All it succeeds in doing is shutting him up so he can tightly shut his lips, probably suppressing the same primal urges I feel. No matter how strong the pull, I can't- _won't_- do anything further with Malfoy until after he's read the book. He doesn't have to read the whole thing to get the gist of things, just enough to catch onto the connection. Of course I could try to explain things to him, but I don't see that doing very much for me. He'd call it all a sham and walk away, and then it would be harder to get him to come back. I can't risk that.

So I'll have to wait, and it might just kill me. Maybe it'll give me some time to try to get my thoughts in order, aye? Well, one can hope for that at least.

"You don't understand yet," I say, pulling back again. "If you read, you'll see the connections."

"Connections-"

"Just read it!" I sigh, rubbing my temples. "Please. Read the first three chapters, that's all you'll need. Once you have, I think some things might make more sense. Then you can come back to me with your questions."

"You sound fucking crazy- you know that, right?"

Sighing, I move away from him. "Yes, I know. Look, I suppose you don't have to read it if you don't want to. But it'll help, I swear. Just give it a try, if nothing else."

"Maybe Granger. Perhaps if I'm completely smashed one night I'll give it a go."

Unfortunately, that sounds like Malfoy. "Right. Well, try to not let your friends see it. That's kind of important. And certainly don't tell them about it."

He arches an eyebrow, holding up the heavy tomb with one arm. "Don't tell anyone, hmm? Is that why there's a rift right now between you and the rest of your friends? Is the secret hidden inside this book kept from even your loyal friends? My, now you have my attention. I'm a bit interested to see what you couldn't possibly tell them."

Okay… so in the future I'll start with that if I want to intrigue Malfoy. "Fine, I haven't told my friends. And once you read it, you'll understand why. And, if you ever do read it, I'm sure you'll bombard me with questions once you finish."

The blonde shrugged, smirking at me. "Perhaps."

Yeah, he really has to go now. I'm way too turned on by having him nearby. Damn Siren traits, why did you pick up so fast? At least a Veela has a bit more time to… accept and handle things. Everything doesn't happen all at once.

"Great," I mutter, unable to ignore the fact that his eyes are dark with lust still. "Well, read it and then come back and tell me how stupid I am. Until then, I think it's best that we keep our distance."

His brows furrow together. Obviously, he doesn't get why I had to bring him all the way up here with one thought on his mind just to hand him a book and send him on his way. Well, I needed the privacy to break things to him until I came up with this idea! Now, I have to send him away needy…

I wonder if that's why he keeps running to the bathroom so often during the classes we share together… he needs relief, just like I do.

Okay, he has to go now. It takes longer than it should to get him out, since both of our bodies have other ideas, but eventually I get him out and slam the door shut, sinking into the floor. That was quite a bit of work just to get him to take the book!

But now, I can't do any investigating. It might be stupid, but I have no other way of proving it to him. He's not just going to willingly take my word that we're mates; he'd blame it on hormones' and keep going without a second glance.

Hopefully, Dumbledore's book comes back in one piece. It's the only thing I have to help me, after all. Not only would the Headmaster be disappointed that it was destroyed by my carelessness, but I would be both upset and angry with myself for ruining the one thing that can help me understand what's going on.

I can't take it back now. I'm going to have to hope that Malfoy isn't careless with it… and that he actually believes what he reads.

* * *

It's a week before I'm confronted by the blonde again. It takes him one agonizingly long week to come back to speak to me, and by this point I've actually given up. The first day the attraction felt stronger than ever, but he wouldn't look at me. I didn't know what to make of that.

We've avoided each other since I gave him the book. I need to give him space, even though it's beginning to hurt me. There's a stitch in my side that's been hurting me for a while now. I can't quite figure out why that is, but I'm sure if I had the book I could figure out why…

Whatever, there's no reason to dally on that at this point. I gave it to Malfoy, and short of demanding that he gives it back, I can't really do anything about it now. I could always go get it, but then I would also have to confront him, which I don't want to do. I don't want to see him, for fear that I might interrupt just before he finally comes into belief of everything, like I did. I don't want to be the sole reason for my own misery.

I'm kind of pathetic, aren't I?

When he finally does come to find it, it's actually me who finds him. He's sitting at a table near the entrance to my common room, the only down-side to having a dorm room in the library. Sometimes, people sit there and I usually wait until they're gone before going up as to avoid having the location found out. But he already knows it, and I figure that's why he's sitting there now.

The book is with him, sitting in the middle of the table. When he notices me the man sits a bit straighter, arching an eyebrow in my direction.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back here at all."

"It's my room," I reply, raising an eyebrow as well, "Of course I'll be coming back. How long have you been sitting here?"

He shrugged. "Lunch?"

"That was four hours ago! Did you skip both your classes after lunch too?"

"I only have one after lunch Granger."

I shake my head. "Why didn't you just try again later, like… now? You shouldn't be skipping class."

Draco rolled his eyes, picking up the book as he stood. "I already skipped class, if you haven't noticed Granger. Now, think we could continue the rest of this conversation upstairs?"

"Of course." We make our way up there quickly after I've opened the passage. My heart is beating quickly in my chest as we get into my room, my nerves on end. What if he sought me out just to make fun of me?

No, he looked too serious to be here for that purpose. Sitting on my couch I fold my legs, trying to look as calm as possible when I feel like a wreck on the inside. I'm way too nervous for all of this.

He sets the book on the table, awkwardly sitting beside me. He keeps shifting, as though trying to decide how exactly to sit. I can see that he's nervous too, and it makes my stomach flutter. That could be good, or bad…

For a long time neither of us spoke. It was uncomfortable to sit there without knowing what he wanted to say to me, but I didn't want to push things. It was hard to tell whether he was angry, ill at ease, or just all-around confused, but at the very least Dumbledore's book got back to me safely. Now I can only hope that it did the trick.

When he does finally speak I'm looking away from him, and he grabs my chin before beginning, forcing me to look his direction. "So you're the reason I can't sleep?"

I blink, a bit thrown by his comment. "What do you-"

"You're the reason I keep having these ridiculous dreams?" he continued, still holding my face tight. "You're the reason that I haven't been acting like myself, why I keep thinking about you? It's this… Siren business."

Good, he at least read the book. I nod my head, gently pulling his hand off of my face. "Yes, I know it's a bit hard to take in-"

"Hard to take in?" he asks, eyebrows shooting up. "Granger… we're…"

"I know," I cut in, looking down. "We're mates."

* * *

**A/n: **Hey there! So, I cut this chapter short because I have strep and want to go back to bed. But hey, I got a chapter in, right? So, hope you guys enjoyed it :) As for what I mentioned last chapter, I've come to the decision that there will be no Draco POV chapters because of flow and consistency, and a sex scene will be incorporated later on. We just have to wait for it! Got anything to say lovelies!


	8. Reality

**A/n: **Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir!**

* * *

_Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like._

_~Lao Tzu_

My words hang in the air between us. Obviously this is what was on his mind since the moment he came up here, but actually saying it out loud is revolutionary in a way. I can't deny the truth with it staring me in the face, and he can't ignore the strange interactions between us recently. The uncommon kissing, the physical attractions, the lingering feelings, all pointing to one very terrifying thing:

We're mates. And neither of us really knows what to do about that. I continue shifting beside him, letting the words dissolve into nothing between us as we both scramble for something to say that will make this situation less awkward. That's really unlikely to happen, though.

Eventually, he does clear his throat and speak. "That's… interesting."

"Yes it is," I agree, staring off at the wall in front of me. "Did you um… read much of the book?"

He nods, pursing his lips. "Enough to realize that this is completely insane. We don't have any say in this?"

I shake my head. "If we did, I certainly wouldn't be sitting here right now. Being a Siren definitely isn't something I like."

"I don't know that I much like it either. I mean, it's you!"

Rolling my eyes, I try to let the comment slide. "Look, you're not my ideal prince charming either, but I didn't ask for any of this. Signs just started showing up and I did some research and… boom. I figured out I'm secretly a Siren and I have no control over what's happening. The only way I can even cover over my voice is if I find my mate."

"You're voice is going to change?" he asks, looking perplexed. "Funny, I didn't notice a difference to begin with."

Oh, right. I forgot that the mate would just be drawn to me, but he wouldn't actually notice any of the differences everyone else saw in me- except when my eyes change color of course. That's much harder to miss.

"That's why so many men seemed… swayed by me," I explain awkwardly, remembering the uncomfortable incident with Ron. "My voice changed when I… came of age I guess, and my traits kicked in. Everyone else could hear it except my mate. That's why you didn't notice a difference."

"Wish I had," he grumbled. "So, there's no way out?"

I shake my head, already knowing beforehand that he wasn't willingly going to leap into this situation. "No. If I don't find a mate before a year is up of coming into my traits, I kiss my life goodbye."

"You die!?"

"No Malfoy!" Taking a breath I shake my head, finding it slightly humorous that he immediately came to that conclusion. Oddly, he sounded almost unhappy with the idea of my death. "Basically, my voice would become overpowering. Only my mate will be able to resist the draw of my voice. I don't know quite what you see that's so alluring if you don't hear my voice the way everyone else does, but there isn't much I could do if you decide to not go along with this. In a year's time my voice would become overpowering, and it would cause an uproar. I couldn't live in the city anymore, or around people in general. Basically I'd be forced into a life of solitude."

He nods, taking it all in. I knew he wouldn't jump up and down about this- Merlin knows I haven't- but I don't want him thinking he has all the power yet either. Yes, I need him in order to stay normal and get over this phenomenon that took over my body, but there has to be a downside for him. Now, I just need to read further into the book to figure out what it is…

"And there's no one else?" he asks with a sigh, rubbing his brow. "Not even Weasley?"

Rolling my eyes, I lean further into the couch. "No Malfoy, this is all on you. I already had my run-in with Ron and it's something I don't plan on repeating."

His head snaps around to look straight at me, and I cock an eyebrow. Ah, so I have his full attention now.

"What do you mean?"

Shaking my head, I relax on the sofa again. "Look at yourself Malfoy, you're already worked up about things. You can keep asking whether or not someone else can take your place in things, but in the end you're the one that was destined to be my mate. Harry and Ron, despite how much they love me, just can't be it. It's not destined to be."

"They love you?"

I stop, taking in his appearance. He's gone rigid. I can't believe the mere mention of my friends is riling him up! I really need to read more so I can figure out why he's so... upset by the mention of them. Well, if he knew the nature of what Ron did and actually had some whole-hearted feelings for me then he _might _be upset, but I don't see that happening in the current situation. Or, maybe it would and it would cause a massive problem.

I really shouldn't test things too much right now. The goal is to just get Malfoy to understand after all.

"Look," I say, rubbing the back of my head, "This is going to take some time to get used to. I'm not sure how much of the book you read-"

"Enough."

"Right, well, I don't know what _'enough'_ actually consists of, but we do need to discuss _everything. _I mean, it is kind of life-changing."

"You think!? You just dropped this on me."

"It was dropped on me too," I mutter, crossing my arms. "The only difference is I've had a bit longer to process things."

He nodded, refusing to look my way. Well, I guess he could be a bigger prick about things if he wanted to be, but at least he's trying to be semi –understanding. I didn't expect him to accept things with open arms after all. It's way too weird for that.

"So what do we do?" he asked hesitantly, glancing my way. I look at him as well, and the eye-contact couldn't be any more intense. Suddenly, my body's heating up, that same sense of arousal attacking me again. I shift uncomfortably, and he does the same.

Okay, super awkward. We look away again, and he clears his throat.

"Um…"

"I guess that means you felt it too," I mutter, my cheeks turning red. From the corner of my eye I can see him nodding. "Um… does it… happen often?"

"Do you really want to ask that question?"

It's enough of an answer for me, and since my cheeks are already scarlet I decide to stop asking about it. "It's part of the Siren experience…"

"So I've noticed. And to get rid of it I suppose we have to _mate_?"

I really want to hide my face. I can't believe we're having this conversation! "Yes… from what I've gathered. It seems to be the only way to be rid of it…"

"Not yet," he says gruffly, leaning forward to rub his eyes. "I can't take that."

"I can't either. I think we should get to know each other better first. You know, on a friendly level."

He looks towards me again, and after our awkward conversation I can't quite meet his eyes. "And there's no way around this? We both have to get partnered up whether or not we like it?"

"Yes." I pause briefly, speaking again only when he doesn't. "You're taking this better than I thought you would."

He shrugs, standing. "I can't _quite_ ignore what I read. This all kind of… explains things. Like my sudden attraction to you."

I nod, watching as he begins to pace. Taking advantage of this I stretch out on the couch, still wondering how the hell he's remained so calm so far. "It all seems a bit far-fetched doesn't it?"

"You and I being together? Incredibly. Even if we somehow come to terms with all of this, we don't just have to deal with each other. I mean… we have to deal with our friends, the rest of the school, _and _my parents."

"Mine too," I mutter, knowing that I'll have to mention this to them sometime. He grimaces and continues to pace. "We can't worry about what anyone else is going to say until we come to terms with it ourselves."

"Right."

"Which means we're going to have to start spending time together."

"I gathered that much."

"And overtime we're going to have to-"

"Learn to love each other?" he asks, pausing to stare at me. I refuse to meet his eyes after the sudden jolt of passion we both received the last time our eyes met. Nodding, he groans. "I think that's going to be the hardest part."

"Agreed. It'll be hard to put the past behind us, don't you think?"

"It'll be hard for everyone else too," Malfoy remarks. "Nothing about this is easy."

"You're finally beginning to understand what I've been going through since I found out."

"I would've lost my fucking mind." He pauses to lean against the wall, rubbing his temples. "So, who else knows besides you and me?"

I shrug, adjusting in my seat. "Dumbledore. I haven't told anyone else."

He cocks an eyebrow. "No one? Not even those friends of yours?"

"No. Not even my parents. I… I wanted to sort things out first. I also wanted to find my mate. Considering that it could be anyone in the world I wasn't certain that I ever would, but it just happened to be you. Now that I know… I guess I have to start dealing with other things."

"I see. And when exactly do you plan on telling those friends of yours? I'd like to know when I should start watching my back."

Raising an eyebrow, I can't suppress the slight smile that graces my lips. "Are you afraid of them?"

He scoffs. "Hardly! But I'd like to keep my guard up since I know they're going to be roaring mad when they do find out. Out of everyone you could end up with, the last person anyone would think of is me. They won't like it when they do find out."

"And your friends?"

"Blaise will probably accept it; he's pretty laid-back. Nott, Crabbe and the others I'm not so sure about. Pansy will lose her fucking mind when she realizes I really won't be marrying her."

I make a face. "You're supposed to marry Pansy?"

"Only in Pansy's world. She's a bit delusional like that." I nod, looking away again, and silence lapses over us once more.

"I need time to myself," he says at length, and I glance his way. Nodding again, I stand, wandering to the door.

"Just don't tell anyone," I say, staring at the floor. "It will cause a lot of controversy once it gets out as it is."

"Trust me, I won't. I just won't say anything else on the matter until I can think things over, Granger."

I don't argue with that, and stand to the side so he can exit my bedroom. Our fingers brush as he leaves and the man pauses, going rigid. My body stiffens at the contact as well.

Any physical contact awakens way too many nerves.

"I'll see you in class," he says tightly, hurrying away. I don't reply as he rushes down the stairs, and instead simply slam the door closed.

This is all going to take some getting used to.

* * *

After my not-so-productive talk with Malfoy yesterday, I spent a lot of time in my room just thinking. Reading the book was incredibly tempting, but I couldn't get myself to stand up and actually pick it up. I was too interested in replaying the horrendous conversation between us again, trying to gage what was going to happen next. I couldn't quite tell if Malfoy thought I was a bit batty, if he was buying into the whole idea, or if he really just didn't know what to do next. But I'm pretty sure he's confused, just like me. Who wouldn't be when you realize that you have to change to fit into this new version of reality?

I've been wondering if my Siren traits will go away once I've… mated with the blonde. It's something that I can probably find in the book, but I still haven't picked it up yet. Partially it's because I'm wondering why Malfoy didn't have a bigger freak-out about everything. I expected him to be an angry, cursing fool, not a calm, collected, completely confused individual. I don't really know what to expect from him now.

But he did ask if there was a way out of things, which leaves a bit of worry in my heart. Does he really hope to avoid everything, just like me? While there might not be any negatives for him if he decided to ignore everything, for me it would be detrimental. Although he didn't seem like he was completely shunning away the entire idea of being with me (which I still don't understand) he didn't seem like he would mind if someone else could take his place either. It might be more comfortable if my mate wasn't someone who couldn't stand me, but it's not like I can do anything about that now. I just hope that Malfoy realizes that we should be together… and doesn't turn into a total jerk and try to use this to his advantage, since everything is kind of riding on him.

At breakfast I can feel his eyes all over me. Even from across the Great Hall I feel his gaze each and every time he looks my way, but I don't dare glance back. The moisture between my legs is bad enough. I don't need to increase it.

"Are you alright this morning Hermione?" Harry asks as he eats. "You seem very… distracted."

"Hmm? Oh, right. I'm just tired this morning Harry."

"Right." Ginny sat away from us this morning, choosing to sit with a group of girls further down. This leaves me open to talk to Harry without being glared at, and Ron is talking to me anyway. It pisses Lavender off and really makes me smile. Now that my voice doesn't create lust, everything is just a normal conversation like it used to be. It's quite nice.

"Do we have Quidditch practice later Harry?" Ron asks, munching away at his food. I shake my head, wondering where all the weight goes.

"Yes Ron, we talked about this last week. Quidditch practice is today. Positions have to be filled again. Your sister is trying out too." Harry wiggles his eyebrows, earning a shove from Ron. I chuckle at that, thinking it's funny how Ron gets so uncomfortable over Harry and Ginny dating when they've been together for almost a year.

"Are you going to come watch Hermione?" Ron continues, earning a shove from his girlfriend this time. I roll my eyes, wondering how he can stand that woman when all Lavender does is squawk and complain about whoever she currently thinks is trying to steal Ron from her. I would lose my mind being in a relationship like that. But hey, Ron's actually speaking civilly to me, so who am I to complain?

Shaking my head, I finish chewing before I try to talk. "I have a lot of assignments to catch up on."

"Weren't you up in your room all last night though? You didn't even stop by the common room to say hey."

I cringe, having forgotten my promise to go up and hang out. "I had to speak to Dumbledore about some Head duties," I lie. "Malfoy and I couldn't sort things out, so I decided we should just meet with Dumbledore."

"Are things better now at least?" Harry asks worriedly. "If he's giving you any trouble-"

"No," I cut in, quickly shaking my head. "He's fine, we just don't agree on a lot of things. Don't worry Harry."

"So you won't come watch us at all?" Ron asks, looking crestfallen. Lavender gives him another shove, and I'm glad I turned down the offer now. Sitting in the stands with that nut-job doesn't sound like a fun time to me. She'd probably just go on and on about how Ron is hers and no one else's- as usual.

Shaking my head, I sigh. "I can't. I have so much to do." Actually, I just have a lot to think about.

Relenting they give up, and a few minutes later I excuse myself. If the heat between my legs gets any worse from Malfoy's stares I'm going to lose my mind. I'll just go deal with that _dilemma_, respond to my mother and get off to class. Bidding my friends goodbye I get up and leave, walking peacefully towards my room, trying to will my hormones to calm down on the way.

I'm nearly to my room when he stops me. I hear someone approaching behind me and turn around, spotting a blonde head.

"You followed me up here?" I say, arching an eyebrow.

"We need to talk," he says gruffly, grabbing my arm gently. We sit at a nearby table beside the entrance to my common room and I squeeze my legs together. His touch really doesn't help the raging hormones.

"What?" It comes out a bit rougher than I mean for it to, but it can't be helped. I'm a bit preoccupied.

"Does Weasley still have a thing for you?" The question is so untimely and random that I nearly fall off my chair. He can't be serious!

"Where the hell did you get that idea?" I snap, unable to control my current irritation. Out of everything he could've wanted to discuss, he wants to talk about this!?

"Just answer the question."

"No Malfoy, Ron doesn't have feelings for me anymore, okay? I don't know where you heard that much less why you care, but he stopped feeling things for me ages ago. And now that I can lace my voice to sound normal he doesn't react anymore."

"What?"

I shake my head. "Never mind. Now where did you come up with that idea?"

"I heard you talking," he replies with a shrug, and I tilt my head to the side. "What?"

"When did you hear us talking about… anything!? Ron doesn't have feelings for me anymore."

"I beg to differ Granger."

"Why?"

"Because he really wanted you to go down to the Quidditch pitch and watch him, didn't he? I'd say he really wanted your attention."

I freeze at that, studying the blonde before me. "Where did you hear that?"

"I… heard you two talking."

My eyes widen. "As in… this morning?"

"Yes."

"But you were on the other side of the Great Hall when we discussed that!"

"I didn't say I understood it, just that I heard you. I don't know how I could."

"Are you using a spell or something?" He shook his head. "Then how is that even possible?!"

"Like I said Granger, I don't know. I just know that I could hear everything you said to your friends. I wanted to make sure you didn't have feelings for Weasley or something."

I arch an eyebrow. "Worried or something, Malfoy?"

"Hardly. We're forced to be mates, remember?"

"Yes," I reply, tapping my chin, "You just seem way too concerned about things."

"Maybe it comes with this whole Siren-bullshit. If we're supposedly destined to be together, maybe I'll be forced to be protective of you."

_Yeah, "forced". _"That doesn't explain why you could hear me from across such a large room."

"I could only hear what you we're saying when I looked your way."

I recall how he kept glancing my way in the Great Hall this morning, and now I understand why he kept looking at me a bit more, despite the fact that he was just talking about avoiding me and thinking things through last night. "When did you discover you could do this?"

"This morning. I glanced your way and suddenly I could hear you talking to me as though you were right in front of me. I almost ran out of there when it happened."

"I can imagine it was a bit startling."

"Yes. It's only you though, and whoever you're conversing with. I couldn't do it with anyone else in the Great Hall- trust me, I tried. And I have to be able to see you to do it."

Nodding I tap my chin again, thinking this over. "Maybe it's some sort of protective trait?"

"I don't know, Granger. I'm not about to try and understand it just yet. There are too many other things on my mind."

Sadly, I agree. "Fine. Maybe we should speak again… later."

"We have to. It's not like we've really been able to ignore each other."

"I suppose you're right," I say with a sign. "Tonight… after classes?"

"We have patrols again. We'd have to talk anyway."

"So we should discuss this then."

"We might as well. We'd probably end up discussing something about this as it is."

"So… tonight?"

"Yes."

"Good." I stand, hurrying to the entrance to my room.

"Oh, and Granger?" He stops me before I can go upstairs, and regrettably I turn back. Merlin he can do some strange things to my body, and I just want some relief. I wonder if he has the same problem.

"What?"

He clears his throat awkwardly. "So… you did mean what you said about not going to watch the Quidditch tryouts for Gryffindor today, right?"

I smile, thinking it's kind of cute that he sounds concerned about it. A Malfoy, concerned! "No, I'm not. I really do have things to do."

"Right. Splendid."

Nodding, I open the passageway and pause just inside. "And Malfoy?"

"Hmm?"

"Stay out of my mind," I say, winking. But once the passageway closes, I let off a deep sigh, marching to my door. I don't know why I had to add the flirtatious wink, but it happened before I could really process what I was doing. And I know he'll probably hold that over me later.

But I can't have Malfoy prowling around listening to what I say. Maybe he isn't exactly in my mind, but he's picking apart bits of my personal conversations from great distances. I can't have him doing that when I don't quite know what I'm saying half the time. With everything that's going on I'm pretty scatter-brained lately. Knowing that Malfoy can pick up on my conversations doesn't really help me.

I'm supposed to be the Siren right, with the cool traits and sultry voice? So why the hell did Malfoy get a benefit from all of this.

Book of answers, I am definitely reading you before I go patrolling tonight. I'm way too curious now.

* * *

**A/n:** So originally this chapter was a bit different. Then my computer freaked out and deleted it. So, I re-wrote it and altered things a bit. But, I really love this story! It's so crazy and fun to write.

Thanks to all you lovelies who keep reading and reviewing! Just for a little heads-up, college is kicking my butt now during the week so it's getting a bit harder to update. If a chapter in the coming weeks is late, don't fret. I'll post when I can, but I'm going to try to keep it weekly. I'll get chapters up as often as possible :)

And don't worry, next chapter we get to see a bit of Draco freaking out.


	9. Secrets

**A/n**: Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! !

* * *

_If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees._

_~Khalil Gibran _

"Should I be the only one talking to men?" Draco asks later as I round the corner. I'm a bit shaky tonight, stepping out to do patrols with him again. Now he knows that we're truly mated… which makes everything a bit more awkward. And on top of that I went and read the book, and now I have a million things on my mind.

It explained so much! If I hadn't been so distracted this whole time and I'd paid attention to things I could've figured out a few things ages ago! But now I feel obliged to share them with Malfoy, seeing as I haven't told my friends about this dilemma yet, and I have no idea where to start. He needs to know some of the things I learned, for both of our sanities.

"I took my potion," I reply, rolling my eyes. "We'll be fine."

"I thought you said you got more attractive after you found your mate or something," he mutters, shoving his hands into his pockets as we begin walking.

"No Malfoy, I'm pretty sure that's something you thought up."

"Right."

"So… um…" Well, this is a lot harder to start off than I thought it would be. "You can't hear anyone else from great distances?"

"Nope, just you. How lucky you are; now I'll know everything you're saying."

"So long as you can see me," I remind him, arching an eyebrow as we continue walking. Tonight we're moving slower than normal, probably to prolong the experience so we can discuss things. Really, it's not like we can prolong things. "I think I figured out why."

"Oh? And where would you get an answer like that from?"

I look over at him. "From the book you were supposed to read!"

"I _did _read it, until I got bored. Granger, you're going to read the entire thing and then go to lengths to tell me about it, so why would I bother? I don't want to hear the same information twice."

"Whatever." I shake my head, focusing my vision ahead again. Merlin, Malfoy is insufferable! "Well, do you want to hear it or not?"

"Oh yes, make no mistake of that. I would actually prefer knowing what's going to happen to me."

"To us both?"

"Right."

"Well, you know the basics, right?"

He shrugged. "You're a Siren, supposedly beautiful and your apparent changing voice causes men to fall head over heels for you. I'm your mate, begrudgingly, and we don't get a choice in the matter. We get to tell our parents, friends, and the entire fucking world about this experience, and possibly lose our minds while doing so. Oh, and we're horny. Anything else?"

I blush at his crude language, the meaning behind it reminding me of what we have to do in the end. "Right, you have the basics."

"Go me," he says, his tone flat but sarcastic. I can tell this is going to be a fun walk already.

"But you're missing a lot. I was reading earlier, and there's a bunch of tidbits of information that we need to keep in mind."

"Keep going."

"Well to begin with, that unnatural hearing you have just for me? It's part of a protective set of traits; comes with being the mate of a Siren. In the past mates needed such traits to keep the Siren safe, since they're often killed for specific reasons."

"You're a bit confusing."

"Just let me explain," I snap, "And it will make sense eventually. You're also going to be majorly over-protective at first. After discovering that we're mates it will take a few days to kick in, but I'm sure we'll both notice the change pretty quickly. You're going to end up insanely protective when it does happen."

"Oh goody."

"I'm thinking… maybe… we should tell our friends before then. It gives them time to fume and wonder what the hell is wrong with us, but then when you start acting majorly out of character they will understand why. There wouldn't be any conflicting feelings among them and they can come to their own conclusions and decisions about how to handle this."

"I can't believe you're even suggesting that," he muttered, looking skyward. "You think my friends are going to be accepting of a relationship with someone I've claimed to hate the very existence of? And your friends would sooner skin me alive or permanently turn me into a ferret before they'd ever accept that we're together."

"I know. I didn't say this would be easy, but it's a suggestion- one that we could maybe discuss later once I've finished explaining?"

"Fine. Go on then. Tell me about all the other unexciting things."

"You might come into some other protective traits besides the altered hearing, but it depends specifically on the situation. You might get stronger unnaturally fast, or grow better eyesight. It depends on whether or not something seriously fucked up happens."

"And that's a forever possibility?"

"No," I say taking a breath. "Even though we met, changes in between us can happen over the first year. Any additional adaptations you might need to keep me _safe _can form, even though I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"I know. I'm a witness to that."

"Quite. Supposedly I'm going to end up insanely attractive, but I'm still not seeing it."

"It might make being your mate a bit more tolerable," the blonde says beneath his breath, and I spin on him, pulling out my wand.

"Don't insult my looks," I chirp, eyes narrowing. "Remember, we're stuck together for life."

"Unless I say no," he reminded, arching an eyebrow. This time I smirk, causing his expression to falter. "What?"

"I learned something else while reading. If I find my mate and he denies me, not only am I bound to a life of solitude, but you will die. It's a hasty, rather unneeded extreme, but it's the way things work nonetheless. So unless you're looking forward to an early death-"

"You can't be serious," he snapped, shaking his head. "Is every loophole out of this arrangement already covered up?"

"I think so. Trust me; I looked for one while reading."

"Fucking hell."

"My thoughts exactly," I reply, pocketing my wand as we begin walking again.

"So how do I stop this overprotective bullshit that's going to start here soon? That can't last forever."

"It won't. Once we… you know, then the effect will wear off. You'd only become overly protective by choice, which I hope would only be in required situations."

"Right," he says, glancing my way. "You know you can say the word fuck in that context Granger. It's not like you won't say it at all."

"I really prefer to not think on it that much Malfoy. It's something I can't say I'm looking forward to."

"I'm not that bad," he jokes, eyeballing me. When I have nothing to say he stops walking all together, gently grabbing my shoulder. "What's gotten under your skin?"

"Nothing," I snap, pulling away. "Can we move on?"

He shrugs in response, and I'm sure he's still trying to focus on my strange behavior. Sighing I run my fingers through my hair, looking away as I continue explaining. "Once that's done we'll be fully mated for life. We will never be able to leave each other."

"That might be a pain if we don't get along."

"We _could _if you weren't such a git." He smirks at me, apparently feeding off my irritation, and I clamp my lips shut. Damn Malfoy.

I clear my throat after a few moments, continuing. "My sex appeal towards others will go down once we've sealed the deal. Only people who truly find me attractive will think of me in that way."

"Too much information Granger," he says, shaking his head. "Let's move onto something else."

"Do you even care what it says about me?"

Shrugging, Malfoy glances my way. "Sure, why not. So long as it has nothing to do with that topic."

"Very well. Sirens are considered to be outstandingly pure beings."

"I read that."

"Good. That means that there are people out there who seek to kill people… well, like me."

"Ah, is this when you explain the part about keeping you safe, right?"

"Yes. When I'm apparently at my _purest_, my eyes will change color. Have you seen that yet?"

"When they turn blue?"

"So you have seen them." We round a corner, wandering past half open windows. A cold breeze blows through and I shiver. "Well, when I'm in that absolute state I'm at my most vulnerable to be killed. In the past, people have killed Siren's in order to rid themselves of the darkness manifesting inside them. It would be the same as if a Death Eater killed me to rid themselves of their past."

"Okay?"

"This only lasts for the first year as well, so it would be better if the entire world didn't know that I had Siren traits until after that time. Afterwards I won't be as pure anymore, and the ability for my body and soul to suck the evil out of others will diminish. Up until then I'll be very vulnerable though if anyone were to find out."

"So I might have to protect you after all."

I laugh. "Don't count on it Malfoy- I can handle them myself."

"Sure you can. So, why does everything have a one-year time clock?"

"In the past one year was how long a Siren would wait after mating before trying to conceive. Since you have up to a year before your voice becomes overpowering, most just waited that long if they ended up finding their mate beforehand."

He looks stricken. "Did you say _conceive, _as in _children_!?"

"Calm down Malfoy! I didn't say _we're _having children, just that that's why it's a one year time clock more or less."

"I see," he chirps, looking a bit calmer now. I smirk at his sudden fear.

"So how do you know when you're at your purest point?"

I shrug. "I haven't figured that part out yet. I stopped reading right before then. The only thing I can go off of until I read more is whether or not my eyes change color."

"And that's when you're most vulnerable?"

"Yes."

"Can you shield that too, like you're voice?"

"Of course," I reply, rubbing my arms. "Considering that people would apparently want to cut me open if they ever saw my eyes blue, it's not something I plan on sharing with the world."

"Probably a good choice."

"I thought so." I stop walking, spinning to look over my shoulder. Ahead of me Malfoy stops too, seemingly hearing the same thing I did. Without the sound of our footsteps and voices I can hear a lot better, and narrow my eyes. Malfoy is practically on top of me in a moment, those protective traits kicking in.

Oh, great. That should make patrolling a lot of fun.

"Did you hear something?" I ask after a moment, glancing back at him. He nods, looking around. We can't seem to spot anyone, though both of our wands are drawn. We shouldn't be so concerned, especially when we know it's just a student. There's no way that a Death Eater or anyone else could breach the school's security without an alarm going off alerting everyone. We're being too uptight, offset by our conversation.

"We shouldn't talk about this out here anymore," he says, still looking around. I nod my agreement, and we continue on our way, making small talk instead of continuing th rather important conversation we were having. Malfoy walks a whole lot closer to me as we finish our rounds.

I never did see anyone back in that corridor, and that unsettles me. Either no one was there to begin with, or they were hiding.

We pass by Malfoy's dorm room first- a place I've never actually been in but know the location of- and pause. He glances at me, clearing his throat.

"Would you like to come inside?"

His question throws me off, and I almost fall over at the suggestion. I guess I'm so surprised because he's literally never offered before. "Um, yes. Sure."

"I figured we could finish our conversation somewhere where we're absolutely sure we aren't being listened to. I agree, and follow him. We're close to the Slytherin common room now, and he turns and wanders down a flight of steps. I follow close behind as he steps off and turns to the right, away from the common room now. Following in his wake, we walk for maybe three minutes before coming to a tapestry. He says something in Latin that I can't pronounce and pulls the curtain back just a hair. Peering behind, I'm surprised to see an entire room hidden there.

"Go inside," he urges when I refuse to move. Shaking my head I step in, having never actually seen just how he gets in, much less what this room looks like. It's full of greens, creams and quite a bit of black. The space is cozy, complete with an already lit fireplace and two very comfortable looking sofas, behind which sit a large bed.

"The room's locked," he explains while I continue to take in the room. "If I don't want someone in, the room won't open even with the password, unless it's a teacher or the Headmaster of course."

I nod, glancing back his way. "This is lovely."

"That's what every guy wants to hear."

"No," I say quickly, sitting on the couch, "I mean it's unexpected. I thought there would be a lot more black, and maybe a large picture of yourself somewhere in the room."

"Granger, I don't love myself _that _much."

I smile, relaxing into the sofa. "Of course not."

He says nothing in response but instead sits next to me, the couch sinking a bit due to his added weight. I keep my eyes shut when I next speak, internally a bit jealous of how unexpectedly comfortable his bloody furniture is.

"Did you want to continue our conversation?"

"Would you like to?"

I nod against the couch. "Where were we?"

"I think we were talking about your eyes."

Merlin, that sounds so cheesy. Out of context it seems like a romantic line, but really it's anything but. I'm having a hard time believing that line just slipped out of Malfoy's lips. "Right."

"So is there anything else you wanted to tell me before I walk you back to your room?"

I bolt upright, jaw dropped. Did he really just offer to do something _gentlemanly?_! I've never actually seen this side of Malfoy before. For a second I think he might just be joking, until I fix in on his expression and realize he's dead serious.

Another time I might've stopped to think why he's trying to be so caring when he obviously detests this whole situation too, but I'm just a little too busy trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. The world might just be standing on its head today.

I clear my throat almost three times before saying a word. "Right. Um… the flirting."

"What?"

"It's natural."

"Yes, that made sense."

Well, that drew me out of my daze a bit. Glaring at him, I shake my head. "The flirting between us happens whether or not we want it to. It's part of the courting stage I guess you could say. We'll have to flirt and get to know each other better before sealing the deal."

"Well that was a given."

"Yes, it was," I agree, rubbing my arms once more. Malfoy's room is warmer than the corridors but I'm still a bit chilled. The air was bitter today, more so than I originally realized. I'm so caught up with trying to warm my arms up that I don't notice Malfoy shifting until something drapes across my shoulders. Startled, I glance back at him. He's given me his cloak.

"Why-"

"Don't question it," he mutters. "Just stay warm."

I'm again surprised that Malfoy knows how to be considerate, but I suppose I shouldn't be that caught off guard. Besides, since we're mates now he can read my body language better- or so I'm assuming- so he probably noticed that I'm shivering. And besides, I can't argue that his cloak is very warm and comfortable.

"So you said you wanted to keep explaining?"

"Hmm? Oh, right." I got lost momentarily in how surprisingly comfortable I was. "Well, like I said, the flirting is natural and as the days continue on we probably won't be able to help it. It will die down and we can choose when to flirt once we've sealed the deal."

"Seems like that's the answer to everything."

"Yeah, it does. Other than that, the only other thing I've really discovered is that we'll live longer than normal. While wizards already don't age the same way as muggles do, we'll age slower too."

"How much slower? This isn't some of that immortal bullshit is it?"

"No, it's not. And I'm not quite sure. The book didn't specify, but if we're really curious we can probably figure it out."

"Probably." We lapse into silence, and this one isn't nearly as awful as the previous ones. It's almost comfortable even.

Eventually, I speak. "We have to start telling people."

"In time. We already agreed that apparently we need to tell our friends within the next week. It'll be awfully troublesome to get done you know. Lots of drama and fights."

"I know. Maybe we should just tell mine first?"

He glares at me, and for a moment I think he might resort to childish retaliations and take his cloak back. "Granger, just because my friends are notorious for being sneaky doesn't make them untrustworthy. I would only tell two of three of them anyway. It seems like a better idea to keep it to just my closest friends."

"Agreed. Should we maybe do it together?"

He gives me a funny look. "That sounds dangerous. There would be a battle before we could even begin talking."

"But it would get it all over with at once."

"True." He shrugged. "Maybe. Is it something you want to decide now?"

"No, we can wait until tomorrow. I should be getting back to my room anyhow."

"I'll walk you." We stand, and I don't protest the company on my walk back. It will make the journey less lonely, and it doesn't seem like Malfoy will take no for an answer anyway. It's just easier this way.

The journey is peaceful. I keep Malfoy's cloak around my shoulders, though it is a bit long and drags on the floor. He doesn't complain though, so I assume everything is alright. By the time we get to my room entrance I'm much warmer, and thank him for his thoughtfulness.

"Yeah, well, you can't just freeze," he says awkwardly, looking anywhere else but me. It's strange for us to be so nice to one another, though I'm not complaining.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then? We can meet sometime after breakfast."

"Yes, sounds good." We freeze, looking at one another. I can't decide whether or not we should share a goodnight kiss or not.

Malfoy clears his throat in the end and turns away. "Goodnight Granger."

"Goodnight Malfoy." Nope, it's way too soon for sentimental kisses. I watch him for a moment as he leaves before opening the entranceway to my bedroom, climbing up the stairs.

I shouldn't be blushing. This is just silly. But then, I could've used a spell to warm myself up too. I suppose I'm just not thinking too well tonight.

Malfoy's starting to have some odd effects on me, and it's more than just sexual desire now.

* * *

"We have to tell him sometime," I whisper in class later. "He's the one who gave me the book."

"Yeah, well, Dumbledore and I aren't on the best of terms after sixth year and all. The fact that he let Snape come back at all to teach is a surprise to me."

I shrug, adjusting in my seat. "Well, I say we have to talk to him, and today too. It will get things out of the way faster."

"He's going to think we're batty. Listen to this fucking story for a moment!"

"He's the one that gave me the book," I remind for a second time, "He'll be the most understanding."

"Are you-"

"Shh," I say lowly, glancing around. No one is paying us any mind since we should be working on our potion together, which is nice. Although my friends are a bit flabbergasted that I willingly worked with Malfoy today, they are the least of my concerns at this moment. Setting up a time to go see my parents with Malfoy in tow is at the top of my list. And we've been discussing this since Snape dismissed us to actually work.

"I promise, he'll be understanding. Dumbledore really doesn't hate anyone."

"I'm sure. I personally never liked the man."

"That's apparent." I shake my head, tossing the next ingredient into the cauldron. "You're so difficult at times."

"You're difficult."

"That's your retaliation Malfoy?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

Sighing, I look away and continue to chop things up. Getting everything planned out is really a pain. After a few minutes of silence, Nott turns around and shoots Malfoy a look. I arch an eyebrow, wondering what that means.

It seems that Malfoy is just as curious, as he briefly glances my way. I don't really know what's going on but Theo gets up a few minutes later to leave, and Malfoy follows minutes after that. Nott doesn't return before my mate leaves.

I'm left thinking that he might've told Theo. But then, in his description of his friends he didn't seem all that close with Nott. In fact Zabini seems to be Malfoy's best friend, and now he's left partner-less like me. I study him for several moments sitting in front of me, trying to gauge whether or not he knows something about the look directed at Malfoy. He doesn't glance back though, and it's hard to tell.

Eventually I settle back and continue working in Malfoy's absence. He's been gone for a bit now, and I'm beginning to wonder what happened. We were getting along surprisingly well up until now, and I can't imagine why he would disappear so long with Nott. My stomach's beginning to twist now, and I have a bad feeling about this.

Just before class ends the two return, earning a glare from Snape and curious looks from half the class. I shoot the blonde an odd look as he sits down, but he blatantly ignores it. I note that he's quite a bit paler than normal. Without looking at me he scribbles something onto a sheet of parchment, sliding it towards me before the bell rings.

_After class, the alcove near this room. Meet there._

There's nothing specific about this note, and I can't help wondering what's gotten under his skin. I'm packed up by the time class ends, eager to speak with Malfoy and see what's wrong. He crumbles the note up as we leave, tossing it into the waste bin on the way out. I enter the alcove first, and he follows just a few minutes later. I'm sure I'll hear from my friends at lunch all about how I've been elusive today.

"Are you okay?" I ask when he finally steps in. One hand rests on my hip, an eyebrow quirked. He sets down his bag, immediately flopping on the ground. I don't think I've ever quite seen Malfoy _flop _before.

"We're in trouble," he mutters, running long fingers through his hair. My eyebrows draw together and I sit on my knees in front of him, trying to gauge his expression.

"What's going on?" I question, crossing my arms when he says nothing more. Eventually he looks up, eyeing me carefully.

"Nott knows," he says, drawing my attention. I realize what he means immediately and I fall to the side, sitting completely on the ground with my arms holding me up.

"How-"

"The corridor," he snapped, looking away from me. "Last night. We were careless. He overheard and he wanted to tell me about it."

"Why would he want to do that? It seems like he'd be better off keeping something like that to himself."

"That's what I thought too," the blonde admits, screwing up his face. "Fuck! Why were we so careless?!"

"We don't know what he's going to do with the information yet," I reason, looking at the ceiling.

"That's what worries me," he mutters. "We don't know what this means."

Nodding, I contemplate his words. Less than a moment later I'm on my feet, extending my hand to him. "Come on."

"Where?"

"We're going to see Dumbledore," I say determinably, looking down at him. "I won't take no for an answer."

"Granger-"

"I said I won't take no as an answer! We're way in over our heads right now."

Sighing, he sits a moment longer contemplating Merlin knows what, before taking my outstretched hand and standing up. Strangely the connection doesn't seem to cause any of my hormones to stand at attention. When we're not arguing and picking on each other, we're actually fairly okay in each other's company. At least I have no urge to rip his clothing off.

Picking up our bags we set off, Malfoy silently deciding to stop being so picky about going to see Dumbledore and just going along with it. I don't know what kind of threat Theo might become, much less why he's being so open with his information, but it doesn't look good. I don't trust him one bit.

As if things weren't complicated enough. I'm pretty sure the universe is throwing everything it can our way. We really just need to catch a break.

* * *

**A/n:** Thanks for all the comments, PM's and reviews! Keep them coming please :) Any thoughts on this chapter and what will happen from here? It was a long one! Let me know.


	10. Wake

**A/n:** Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**!

* * *

_Wake me up, wake me up inside._

_~Taken from Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life"_

Dumbledore, as _I _predicted, wasn't as offset by the information we presented to him. He actually seemed quite well read on the topic of Siren's and already knew the things that we explained to him. Out of everything I reported to him in a mad rush, he seemed the most surprised that Malfoy and I were actually getting along.

But Theo was a different matter entirely. He immediately advised us to watch our backs, claiming that Nott would be watched closely by the faculty. He then assured me that he wouldn't reveal what I was to any one of them.

"You're biggest concern with him," Dumbledore had said, "Might be whether or not he will keep this to himself. If he has a grudge against either of you, what better way to ruin your lives than to reveal this whole situation to all of Hogwarts- even Britain."

That's the part of the conversation that lingered with me the most once we left his office. If Theo meant to reveal what I was, then that would explain his nonchalant attitude towards revealing his find.

Of course, Dumbledore also stressed the need for us to tell others. With Theo possibly revealing things, secrecy was no longer an option. Although Nott would be having a conversation with Dumbledore privately later up in his office, it didn't comfort me. The Headmaster can only do so much. If Nott absolutely means to do harm in this situation, I'm sure he will find a way.

I know that's what's mostly on Draco's mind. We're back in his dorm now, having abandoned the thought of going to mine since it's still early and the library is probably busy. Oh the woes of having a dorm located in your favorite place.

Still though, sitting on Malfoy's couch isn't doing us a lot of good. We're silent really, staring at opposite walls.

At length he breaks the silence, after almost a half hour of silence. We've been excused from our classes for the remainder of the day, which will definitely help. But I'm sure it will also draw attention. What we need is a concrete plan.

"Who do we tell first? Your companions or mine?"

I shrug. "Either set of friends won't be immediately accepting, I'm sure. But I think we should tell mine first, since this is my problem."

"And then mine."

"Yes, I suppose."

He adjusted on the couch, looking uncomfortable now. "And then… your parents."

"Yes, this weekend." I look his way. "I can't even imagine telling yours."

"We might actually have to fear for our lives on that one."

"Yes. I'm sure Lucius will be overjoyed to hear that I'm going to be his daughter in law."

Malfoy cringes, and I glance his way. "I'm not entirely sure you should even be around when I bring that up."

"Why? Afraid of how angry he'll be when he realizes his pure line is coming to an end."

"Well, that… and just the fact of who you are. He _hates _Potter more than I do, and the fact that you're his friend isn't going to make this any easier. I'm sure he'll try some creative ways to get rid of you."

"How charming," I say, sinking further into the couch. "At least all my father will try to do is shoot you."

"What?"

I smile, having overlooked the fact that he had no idea what that meant. "Oh, you'll see."

"I don't like that answer Granger."

"I know," I say, rubbing my hands together. My mind was still on Theo, what he might do now that he knew. Would he broadcast it or leave us to think about what he would do? I was concerned, worried about what we would have to do in order to really figure out his motive. But something in the back of my mind disturbed me; something we discussed in the corridor last night.

"Do you remember what I said last night?" I say at length, and he glances my way, scrunching up his nose.

"You said a lot last night."

Rolling my eyes, I dare to scoot closer. "I mentioned that bit about Siren's being killed to remove dark magic from a person. You don't think…"

His eyes widened a fraction. "Look, Granger, I know this is all a little overwhelming right now, but I don't think that's what he's after. Nott was a coward in war and never actually stood up for himself. He wasn't very involved, he didn't play a big part, and he definitely did not take part enough in the war to be poisoned by darkness. From what you said, someone being manifested by the dark side would go through such measures to rid themselves of their troubles, and no one else. Nott just isn't bad enough to do that. I think it would be a waste of time for him."

I worry my lip, my biggest concern now pushed away. I can't help tucking what Draco said into the back of my mind though, in case I need to look it up later. "If you say so."

"I know so. If things ever got that far, I don't think Nott would be your attacker."

"Okay," I reply, not completely convinced. I shift on his sofa, letting the top of my shirt shift to reveal my skin underneath. After we were excused from our remaining classes for the day, I went back to my dorm and changed into some of my own clothes. Now I'm realizing that I should've grabbed something with a higher neckline, as Malfoy's eyes immediately move to the newly revealed skin. My cheeks color at the same time that heat starts rushing to other parts of me. I can't be getting all hot and bothered by one innocent look!

Can I?

The intensity in his eyes is different now than it was just a moment ago. There's a heat now in his look that seems to engulf me, drawing me into him against my better judgment. I really shouldn't be leaning in so close to his lips…

We're kissing before I can help it. This time they aren't heated kisses of passion, but something much softer, much more intimate. That doesn't mean that the horniness is lessoning of course. I can still feel other parts of my anatomy waking up at his touch. He's pulling me on his lap side-saddle a moment later, intensifying everything about our kiss.

It's surprising how natural this all feels, like we've done this together a million times.

Well… I suppose we've kissed about that much.

I don't push him away as we continue on. I can't seem to. It's not as though I'm not absolutely terrified that it's so comfortable to kiss Malfoy like this, but I don't want to. My curiosity, as well as my bloody hormones, are interested to see what happens, and how far exactly we trust each other.

Then again, I'm not sure how much I really do trust Malfoy. Kissing is one thing, but touching is another. There's no way I can let him get that far yet, no matter how our bodies protest. It's not the time. We do have a year to bond after all…

When his hands start roaming I pull back, resting my forehead against his own as we catch our breath. I won't look at his eyes; it's too intimate. After a few moments he gently pulls me off and puts me back on the couch.

Now things feel _really _awkward. Sexual tension is one thing, but intimacy is another. That follows the same line compassion does, and we certainly don't have compassion for each other yet. We barely know what we have.

Neither of us really knows what to say now. Talking seems obsolete, and I'm hoping that my body will cool down soon. The heat between my legs needs to go away, and if my nipples weren't straining against the fabric of my bra and shirt life might be a bit more comfortable. I don't dare check his lap. I might actually die of embarrassment if he caught me.

Not that he's trying to avoid gawking at me. He's openly studying my body, and I inwardly want to smack him. It's really not helping the situation. Standing, I clear my throat and pull at my shirt, making sure its covering every part of my breasts.

"I should be going," I say awkwardly, the tension between my thighs never lessening. I might need to repeat the events from a few weeks ago, finding my own pleasure. My cheeks turn red in embarrassment at the thought, but he doesn't even notice. He's doing his absolute best to avoid looking at me now.

"Yes, right."

I hurry to the door, pausing there as I consider something. "I'm… I'm going to tell my friends tonight."

"Mhmm."

Biting my lip I press my thighs together, a whirlwind of things happening inside my head at once. "I would like it if you were there… it might make things seem more believable."

There's a pause, and I know he's thinking again about our conversation in the corridor yesterday. "What time?"

"Probably around… um, eight? I'll owl you when I'm sure."

"Fine. I'll be there."

I smile softly at his reluctance. "Thank you." And then I'm out the door, practically running back to my room. These crazy hormones might just be the death of me after all.

* * *

Collecting Harry and Ron is easy enough. Their girlfriends aren't nearly as excited to come, and Lavender outright ignores my request to see them all in my room later. That's perfectly fine with me, seeing as I don't even really like Lavender. It'll be one less response I have to handle.

I really caught their attention when I told them that I would explain why I'd been missing some of my classes lately. I know Harry and Ron especially have been wondering about me. They don't think I've quite been myself this year.

They have no fucking idea.

Malfoy was supposed to arrive before Harry, Ginny and Ron did. Instead, he's about twenty minutes late. I'm going to kill that boy.

Currently my friends are staring at me, wondering just what's going on. I'm now wondering about my own ability to explain this to them, when it's almost certain that they're going to say I'm batty. Short of making Ron and Harry pounce on me with my real voice I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do this, or if Malfoy will be any help at all. Maybe I just wanted someone around who would be on my side more than anything.

"So what's going on Hermione?" Harry asked after several minutes of silence. "What's been going on with you?"

I take a breath. "It's not exactly easy to explain."

"I'm guessing that's why you called us up here then," Ginny huffed, obviously the unhappiest person here. She holds a grudge like none other.

Ron lightly elbows his sister. "Give her a chance to talk Gin."

I give Ron a small smile of thanks, but his words do nothing for my nerves. "As you guys know I've been acting kind of… strange these last few days."

"We already covered that," Ginny huffs, crossing her arms. "Get on with it."

I shoot her a glare. "You don't have to stay you know," I reply, glancing at my nails, "I can just keep Harry and Ron and they can explain it to you later."

That shuts her up. After the odd occurrences between me and my two best friends Ginny won't leave us alone in a room for a moment. It's ridiculous really. I've been friends with them longer than she's attended Hogwarts!

"As I was saying-"

For the second time I'm cut off, this time by Malfoy throwing my door open. I left it unlatched for him, figuring he was capable of coming in on his own when he arrived. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. He has this bothersome habit of pushing the door open with far too much force, causing it to bang into the wall. There will be a dreadful dent in the wall left behind from his force, I'm sure.

Besides that, the three people sitting on my sofa aren't elated to see him. Ron jumps out of his seat, pulling out his wand before I'm able to stop him.

"Get out of here Malfoy!"

The blond merely raises an eyebrow, shooting Ron an amused look. "Put that down Weasley; I was invited."

"The fuck you were!"

"_Ron_!" I use a quick spell to pull his wand from his grasp and into my hand, watching his ginger eyebrows rise up as he turns. "Calm down, _please_. Malfoy's right; he was invited here."

My friends freeze, staring at me with startled, slightly horrified expressions. But I can't even focus on them. I'm too busy glaring daggers at Malfoy, who is annoyingly calm as he stands behind the three, marveling at their silence.

"It's truly a marvelous thing when all of you are quiet at once," he continues when no one speaks. Ron and Harry spin around and start shouting at him, but Ginny remains facing me, eyes glaring into my own. It's like she's looking into my soul, questioning everything in this room.

Ginny's been on the edge since Harry and Ron were wooed by me. Of course this has her standing on her toes. Malfoy arriving in my dorm room _invited_ is actually a big deal. And she's eager to see what I have to say.

Averting my eyes, I ignore the woman as my eyes lock with Malfoy's. I only hold his gaze for a second, knowing the consequences of such actions. Beckoning him over with my hand, he finally detaches himself from the colorful conversation long enough to make his way to my side, hands shoved deep inside his pockets.

Harry and Ron are still arguing with him, but their conversation dies on their lips as they note how close we're standing. I shuffle my feet, conscious of their intense gazes. Well, at least Malfoy's the one they're going to try to kill first. Then they'll come after me.

"So… um," I say, looking at my friends. "Recently I came into some traits I wasn't aware of before." I have their full attention, and even Malfoy is watching me a bit closer. "I, um, the reason why everything is so weird-"

"Granger, they're going to glare holes through me before you get to the point," he says rashly, looking at me. There goes my mate, the charming fellow that he is, trying to rush things. And from the smell lingering on his breath I can tell that he's been drinking a bit. Oh, lucky me. "We're mates."

He couldn't be any more stupid.

* * *

"I think they took it rather well," he said later, icing the side of his head. I shook my own, removing the remains of a picture that once hung on my wall. I still can't believe the idiocy of some people.

First and foremost, if Malfoy just kept his big mouth shut _I _would've been the one to reveal things to my friends and this wouldn't have happened! First they laughed, but when Malfoy and I failed to join in things cooled down quickly.

Then Ron tried to kill Malfoy. Granted, it was slightly amusing, but it escalated quickly. Somehow things went from banter and pathetic threats to dangerous fire spells and fist fights. Harry attempted to speak to me when Ron and Malfoy went at it, but our conversation was halted on two accounts; Ginny called me a liar and tried to pull Harry away, and then Malfoy and Ron started fighting.

I have to say though that I'm glad at least one of my friends was defensive. Ron is like a brother to me after all. Although I would really like my mate to stay in one piece, it's always nice to know when people have your back, and Ron certainly has mine.

Maybe a little too much.

I tried explaining what I could to Harry over Ron's screams, while trying to mend a cut in Malfoy's forehead. How he got that, I'm still trying to figure out. I didn't see everything in detail, but healing it was easy enough and I won't bother going down to the hospital wing with him over something meager like this. After all, he's not showing any signs of having a concussion.

All in all, having Malfoy along would've been so much better if he knew when to bloody shut up. Now I'll have this mess to fix with my friends in the morning, and this is only the beginning of the explanations.

I wouldn't mind waiting a few days before trying to explain things to anyone else. It's a bit of a hard concept to wrap your head around, especially when the only proof that any of this is true happens to be very uncomfortable to share with others.

But those are problems for tomorrow. Right now I need to deal with the problem at hand; Malfoy. He's currently groaning on my couch.

"Do you plan to leave soon?" I ask, glancing his way as I head towards my bed. All I want to do is crawl under the covers and sleep, but with him so nearby I don't really like the idea.

"Eh," he replied, pressing the ice closer to his head. "I'd rather get rid of my migraine first."

I smirk. "Ron got you good."

"He did perfectly well for an amateur," the blond replied, glancing over the couch at me. "I got him pretty well myself."

"Malfoy, I believe you've been drinking a bit. Your moves weren't the sharpest."

"Blame it on the alcohol."

Rolling my eyes, I sit on the mattress. Of course he won't admit that Ron's hits were a bit more focused. I can't help but wonder who he was drinking with.

"So when are you leaving?"

"Did you mean now?"

"Yes now! I want to go to sleep!"

"It's not that late Granger," he replies, looking at the clock. "We wouldn't even be on patrols yet."

"Well, it's been a stressful night thanks to you, and I'd really rather retire to my pillows for the night. So if you don't mind…"

"I'm comfortable here," he argues, disappearing behind the back of the couch again as he lies down. "Can't I just leave when I'm ready?"

"I think not."

"But what about my head?"

"I think your head will be fine- sore, but fine. I even healed the cut for you."

"How kind of you."

"I thought so. Now Malfoy, I think you're capable of getting back to your room," I continue, standing when I don't hear him moving, "So please, go?" I come around to the other side of the couch to find him sprawled out across it, ice resting against his head.

"Granger, as your mate I would be obliged to take care of you if you were hurt like this, and then probably kill whoever did it. All I want is to rest here a bit longer until my headache goes away. Is that really too much to ask?"

I place a hand on my hip, shaking my head. So, he's going down that road, hmm? "As long as you don't try to come to bed with me."

"Wouldn't dream of it Granger. I have no sexual thoughts of you right now."

This is such a weird conversation. "Oh, good." I flick my wrist and a blanket at the foot of my bed flies over and lands in my arms. I proceed to drop it, still folded, onto Malfoy. "Here, in case you get cold."

"How thoughtful Granger."

"Yeah, well, don't get too comfortable. You're not sleeping here."

"How right you are. I wouldn't stay on this dreary couch when I have my bed back in my own dorm. I'll just be a few more minutes."

"Sure you will," I reply, turning away again. I slip into my bathroom and throw on some pajamas, making sure I'm quite covered, before returning to the room. He's still sitting on my couch, but at least his eyes are open. I sigh, deciding he might stay a while. And I'm too exhausted from today to start another argument.

Sliding beneath my covers, I grab the book I've been reading. I'll just spend my time reading for pleasure until he leaves. Then I can get the sleep I so desire.

He doesn't move for quite some time. The warmth of the covers is getting to me, and he started the fire with his wand right after I started reading, declaring that it was cold. The room is terribly cozy, and I keep sliding further and further under the covers.

Soon my head drops to the side, eyes sliding shut. The book tumbles out of my hands and hits the floor with a thud, and the last thing I see before falling asleep is Malfoy turning at the sound of the fallen book, eyes looking straight at me.

* * *

**A/n:** I wrote this after a party last night. Go me? So my heads not on quite as straight as it normally would be. That's why there were no responses to reviews this time around. Sorry guys! My weekends are crazy for the next few weeks so it might be hard to get updates up and respond to reviews. But I'll try you guys! Keep the feedback coming! It's so helpful and I love it :)


	11. Sleep

**A/n: **Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! **Not yet edited!

And because I completely spaced last chapter, this one's dedicated to **StarGirlPotter**! I completely spaced last chapter! My bad, but here's the dedication! Hopefully the chapter's a good one too :)

* * *

_I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me._

_~Hunter S. Thompson _

My rooms freezing. I might only be partially conscious, but I'm pretty sure the fire's gone out- which is ridiculous, since the fireplaces aren't supposed to go out until after you dose them. I've gotten all my blankets bunched up around me during my sleep, and yet I'm still cold.

I blame Malfoy for this. I don't even care if it's his fault or not.

Finally after several minutes of this half-conscious iciness, I can't take it anymore. My hand juts out from beneath the warm covers and beats at my side table, searching for my wand. I can see the fireplace from where I'm lying, and even though the room's dark I know how to aim quite well. A quick spell and this room will heat up again.

Something shifts at the noise I'm making, and my eyes fly to the couch.

Oh Merlin. He's still here.

Why didn't I kick him out hours ago?

I'm sitting up now, thinking of all the choice words I can say to Malfoy when suddenly the room is lit again. Dark shadows slip away as light takes over, and a very ruffled blonde head sits up from the couch; Malfoy. He looks rather disheaved.

"You let your fire go out?"

I just lie there in bed, staring at him over my packed covers. Only my eyes see over the thick blankets, but I can tell that he's still dressed the way he was before. Prick.

"Get out," I snap, though I yawn halfway through the statement. Damn sleepiness, creeping up on me at inconvenient times.

"Granger, I've been here for almost four hours. I'm not leaving now."

"I thought I told you to leave hours ago."

"Right," he agrees, eyeing me. "Then you passed out."

I scoff, sitting up further in my bed. "And what does that have to do with anything? You stayed because I fell asleep? Malfoy, that's a very natural human thing. What's your real reason for staying? You couldn't be concerned that I was asleep!"

He shrugs, continuing to watch me. "It was late Granger, and your room was quite warm. I don't know what kind of fireplace you have, but mine never goes out."

"It's not supposed to."

"You might consider checking that out then in the morning. It's biting cold in here."

"Right." I study him, noting that he's wearing the same cloak that he draped over my shoulders only a few days ago. "Well, aren't you going?"

He frowned. "It's freezing out in the corridors in this weather. I won't be going anywhere."

"Oh, so you just think it's appropriate to sleep on my couch all night then?"

"Well, I'll be sleeping with you soon enough."

I can feel my cheeks burning at that comment, but not with embarrassment. "Out!"

Instead of listening to me like a smart man, the idiot gets up. He's actually beginning to head towards my bed.

"Malfoy, I know self-defense and I have a wand. I'm not afraid to use either."

He chuckles at that, sitting on the edge of my bed. I attempt to kick him off, but I'm a bit drowsy still and even this argument with Malfoy isn't enough to keep me awake too long. The room's heating up as we speak, the warm flames illuminating the room and heating my chilled bones.

"Granger, the last thing I'm going to do is hurt you at this point. You should know that."

I half consider telling him that he'd never get the chance to hurt me, but just roll my eyes instead. "So what do you want?"

"Scoot over."

My eyes widen. I'm pretty sure whatever he had to drink earlier hasn't worn off yet. "Get out Malfoy," I say again, falling further into the pillows. "That's so not happening. If I don't have to sleep with you yet then I'm not going to make myself start early."

He nudges me. "But I'm _tired_."

I laugh, out rightly laugh. Malfoy is _whining_. "No. Malfoy, I think you still have quite a bit of alcohol in your system. Just go to bed."

"Oh please Granger, I'm nowhere near drunk enough to start doing stupid things."

"So then how much did you drink?" I ask, voicing something before I can really consider what I'm saying. Woops. Well, the questions out now.

I can't help myself. I'm a bit curious as to why he was drinking.

Malfoy sighs. "Scoot over."

This time I comply, if only because I'm exhausted and I hope that this will make him answer me. I keep the covers snuggled tightly against me, even if I'm getting hot. He climbs in next to me, using his wand to drape the end of one of my blankets over his sock-covered feet. He looked way too comfortable right there.

This is so weird. I must be severely sleep deprived or something if I'm willingly letting Malfoy join me in bed, and so soon! And he has to be drunker than he lets on if he hasn't run away yet at the idea of joining me.

Then again, he's changed over the past few weeks.

"I had to find a way to tolerate your friends," he says simply, placing his hands behind his head. Thank Merlin my bed's large, else his elbow may have hit my head.

"You we're drinking because I wanted you up here when I told my friends!?" I'm glaring at him as I speak, and when he only nods in response I realize there's more. Usually he has some sort of response to most everything I say. There's a pregnant pause between us.

"So what's your other reason for drinking?"

"There is no other reason Granger."

I cock an eyebrow, looking at him. "Oh please. You're holding something back."

"Ah, so you know my character so well now, hmm? And after only a short time of us actually spending time together."

"I just know that you usually like to say a lot in regards to things that I sometimes say. So, what's the other reason?"

He groans. "I have you to worry about."

We're quiet for a long time, letting his words sink between us. He's drinking because of me? Well, I know that the book said my mate would feel a responsibility to care for me, but Malfoy's _already_ feeling it? It hasn't been that long! I didn't think it would affect him this quickly.

Actually, I just didn't think he'd even try to care.

"And… why are you so worried about me?"

He sighs, moving to rub the bridge of his nose. "You know that the old man had his talk with Nott, right?"

I turn and glare at him. "_Dumbledore_? Yes, I'm aware."

"Well, that doesn't mean that Nott is surveyed everywhere. Today I took a trip to the Slytherin common room before coming to see you so I could talk to Blaise. And Nott was there too, talking to Crabbe- which is weird, because Theo can't stand Crabbe."

"So you think he's something's up?"

"I _know _he's up to something. Crabbe isn't the sharpest broom in the closest. After Theo went upstairs to his room I called Crabbe over, which is part of the reason why I was late, and invited him to sit down. Blaise pulled out some drinks, which is the _real _reason I was drinking to begin with, and we had a quick talk. Nott's trying to sell the idea that you're a Siren."

My eyes widen, and I bolt up in bed. "And you didn't try to stop that!?"

"He was already up in his room. I didn't feel like storming up there and making a scene. I slipped a laxative into a drink and gave it to Crabbe, telling him to take it to Nott. Took a bit of persuasion, but he did it of course. Nott should sleep in well into tomorrow."

"And you think that's going to help!? Draco, he's going to-"

"He's not going to do anything, if he's smart. He won't be allowed to get away with something like this." He pauses, blinks, and looks over at me. "Did you just call me Draco?"

I blush and slide back into my cocoon of blankets, happy that they pull up to my chin. "I think I've done so once before."

"Yes, perhaps, but I didn't realize we were on a first name basis yet."

"Might as well be," I mutter, "We're kind of tied together."

He nods. "I suppose that's true. But if we have an entire year, don't you think we're taking things a bit fast?"

"_Fast_? Malfoy, we still have to sleep together," I say, ignoring the way he frowns when I say his last name, and then smirks and glances at the bed. I'm pretty sure he just wants to make me uncomfortable. "And… on top of that we have to tell quite a few people here."

"And keep you from being killed… yes, I know already Granger dear." I wrinkle my nose and the word, and he chuckles. "But it's late, do we really have to talk about all of this now?"

"We're not sleeping."

He smirks. "We're not sleeping _together_, just next to each other."

"Malfoy…"

"Relax Granger, I'm not going to do anything." He wiggles down in bed, making himself comfortable. "Do you happen to have an extra blanket?"

I look down at my abundance of blankets, all piled over me. I've used every blanket in the room. And though the fire might have heated the space it's still chilly without the layers. The git could just use a bloody heating spell, but that probably won't happen.

Feeling slightly guilty that I've taken every blanket I pick up an edge of my cocoon and throw it over him. He arches an eyebrow, but I just shake my head and sink into the covers that I'm not sharing with him.

"If you freeze to death I have to go live forever in the mountains, all alone."

Malfoy smirks, fixing the blankets. "Aw, see, you're worried about me too."

"Just go to sleep Malfoy- and stay over there. If you get near me, I will kill you."

"Oh, trust me Granger, I have no plans to do that."

"Good. Night."

"Goodnight Granger." He adjusts one last time, rolling away from me as he finds a comfortable position. His fingers brush mine during the jostle, and immediately we both stiffen. I can feel the hormones already waking up.

This is going to be a really awkward night.

* * *

In the morning I wake up against something warm. The night before is a bit foggy, and as I struggle to open my eyes on this fine morning I tighten my grip on whatever the warm object is against me. When they're finally open, I glance up and scream.

"Morning Granger."

Now, I like Malfoy well enough given our current situation, but I thought I told him to stay away from me last night. And I can't stand that smug look on his face. I half kick, half shove him off the bed, half of the blankets going with him. He lands in a heap.

"Okay… I see your morning is not so great."

"Malfoy!"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing!?"

"I'm trying to get myself out of the net of blankets you just pushed me into."

I throw a pillow down at him, which just ends up being childlike and ineffective. "I thought I told you to stay away from me last night!"

"Oh trust me Granger, after our fingers brushed I sincerely tried to."

Blushing, I glance away. It's hard to forget the heaping amounts of lust that attacked me while trying to fall asleep. Oh Merlin, somewhere down the lines we didn't… I glance down at Malfoy in horror. He stops what he's doing to cock an eyebrow at me.

"Given your expression, I think you're trying to figure out last night. I don't believe we did anything Granger. We're dressed for one thing, and I'm the only one that actually did any amount of drinking. I think we're safe to say we didn't do anything terribly stupid."

He's learning how to read the expressions on my face. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. "Well… good. Now explain why you were cuddling with me."

Malfoy smirks then, stopping what he's doing just to look up at me. "Actually Granger, considering you're the one that was laying against me, I'd say _you _were cuddling me."

"We were cuddling each other," I say quickly, looking away from him. I can hear his laughter.

"Whatever you say." I'm quiet as he finished getting out of the blankets, dropping them back on my bed. I'm still having a bit of a hard time accepting that I let him stay and sleep here.

"I'll be going then Granger," he says, catching my attention. I glance back at him as he heads to the door.

"I'll see you in class," I agree, and he looks back to smirk. Without another word he salutes me at the door, then leaves and closes it with a click. I fall back against the sheets once more.

They smell like him, like the musty cologne he seems to favor. I catch myself inhaling the scent and almost tumble off the bed in the same way Malfoy did. I must be losing my mind; first I let him stay the night and then I start smelling the sheets after he leaves.

I'm not quite as ashamed of either of those things as I should be.

* * *

A week passes. An entire week, and nothing really changes.

Well, that's an utter lie. I suppose it would be best to say that nothing dramatic happened.

For one thing, Malfoy told his friends. Well, _friend_. I know he speaks to more people than just Blaise, but he said he wouldn't bother telling anyone else unless he deemed it important. He then went on to remind me that Slytherin's can be deceitful at the best of times. I'm certainly not going to argue with that logic.

Then, Harry and Ginny approached me. For a few days I didn't really speak to my closest friends. Even from a distance I could tell that they were uncertain about me, trying to size me up. It sucked, and I think they took things to the extreme- this I blame Ginny and Lavender for- but eventually Harry and Ginny came around. Well, Harry told Ginny basically that I'm his friend too and she needs to go back to accepting that.

Ginny accepted his answer pretty quickly.

I'm actually surprised how quickly Ginny's mood changed. Before she hated me for being the girl that caught her boyfriend's attention for a while, along with the rest of the school, but I hear that Harry put his foot down that morning and told her she was being a bitch about things. I guess it woke Ginny up a bit. Either way, she's not so hostile to me anymore.

I still don't know if I totally trust her. She was pretty quick to turn her back on me, and after years of friendship no less. I wouldn't say we're on best friend terms by any means again yet. We're talking though, which is more than I can say about Ron and I.

Ron's still a stubborn, annoying twit. He's got Lavender whispering in his ear every ten seconds, telling him something else bad about me I'm sure. I've gotten to a point where I have to ignore them. Even Harry yelling at Ron couldn't make him see that he's being a complete idiot.

It's getting old real fast. With everything else I have to do, I can't worry too much about Ron. I love Ron, but right now he's hard to handle. I'm going to let him see things this way for a bit, and when I have the energy to have a long talk with him I'm going to explain why he's being manipulated by Lavender. Harry's already tried that. Hopefully someone will be able to help him see reason soon.

It's been a week since Malfoy slept in my room when it happens. I'm about to head out on patrols for the night. I'm getting myself ready, grabbing my wand when something shatters behind me. I hit the ground immediately at the sound, my war instincts telling my that I'm being attacked. Whirling around on the floor, I notice glass. One of my windows broke.

I sit up after a moment when nothing else happens. My eyes latch onto something. Apparently, not only did my window break, but someone intentionally broke it. I walk over and pick up the item.

It's a small box. Something like this couldn't be launched from the ground. Leaning out the window I'm cautious as I light my wand, looking around. I don't see anyone flying, but that doesn't mean anything. They could've flown off. Glancing back at the box, I freeze.

There's a picture of an old, Greek Siren painted on it. I recognize the image immediately. Looking around again, I press it to my chest. What kind of calling card is this?

Malfoy's knocking at my door now, I can hear it. Looking down at the box one last time, I take a deep breath. Something tells me this isn't anything good.

* * *

**A/n: **I barely got this one up guys, like, literally. I hope you enjoy. Sorry for the end, but I barely had time to write it. Enjoy anyway? And let me know your thoughts!


	12. Dark

**A/n**: Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! **Not yet edited!

Note: To those of you who received a PM from me saying that the next chapter would be out on the 21, it was a mistake. I should've typed in the 26. I realized that about halfway through and I apologize for the confusion.

* * *

_No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible._

_~George Chakiris_

"It's revolting," I say later, standing in his room. After discovering that someone almost attacked me, we spent the better part of a half hour going through my room to see if anything was amiss, and we fixed the window. He was tense the entire time, and I've been wondering since exactly what went through his head when he found out.

We didn't look at the thrown item, not immediately. I tucked it away in our robes while doing our patrols, arguing against the notion that we should rush up and tell Dumbledore what was happening. I didn't want to trouble him, not until after we'd looked inside the small box.

I'm picky. I wanted to do our patrols before looking through the box. Draco thought I was nuts and completely argued against the idea, but I wanted to take a breather. He was tenser than I was, and anger was his main drive at the time. I thought if we briefly took a break and did something else he might cool down.

I was wrong. Apparently being the mate to a Siren is serious business. He didn't calm down until we opened the box, and now he's literally on the edge.

I don't really blame him. I'm a bit freaked out too.

"It's a threat Hermione," he said, pacing. "It's from Nott- obviously. We need to take it to Dumbledore, now. This is fucking ridiculous."

Nodding my agreement, I continue to stare down inside the box. A little doll sits in there, with brunette curly hair and brown eyes. The torso is cut open, and fake blood is splattered across the stuffing. I have an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

It makes me sick.

"I guess Nott heard more about our conversation than we thought," I say, brushing my fingers over the doll. The fake blood remains sticky, probably charmed to be that way, and my fingers come back red. Clenching my hand into a fist, I take a breath. It's more than a little disturbing.

"Don't touch it," he says, coming to my side. In one swift motion Draco has the box moving away from my, the lid raising to cover the terribly torn up doll. He's going to put it into one of his drawers to hide. On the way something falls out of the box, and he drops the levitated object on the bed as I move and pick the note up.

I meet his eyes. "A calling card?"

"It's a fucking threat," he says, as though he already knows what the letter says. Pulling it from my hands he opens the note, and I don't argue, peering over his shoulder we stare at the note.

_Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt me. _

_I've seen into the future and let me tell you you're path is quite daunting. _

_Don't be shy now Miss Granger, as you've already met me._

_And don't be alarmed when I say that I need you to strip me. _

_If it's your life or my sanity, I'll give you up readily. _

_Even a protective mate cannot save you from me._

I read the note twice, feeling jitters racing down my spine, but even after I've finished Draco is still reading. Minutes pass by as he stares at the note, and eventually I pry it from his fingers. I set it down nearby on the table, grasping his hands.

Now I feel nervous. My life's being threatened. It's like the war all over again.

"Draco…" I say after a moment, searching his eyes. He's staring blankly off into space, and I'm not entirely sure he even realizes I'm there.

He doesn't respond immediately, but when he does it causes shivers to shoot up my spine. "That's not Nott's handwriting."

I freeze. "It has to be," I say, searching his face again. "No one else knows."

"No… it's not his. That script is elegant… readable. Nott writes like a child. An uneducated one at that."

"No one else knows," I say again, gripping his hands tighter. "You made a mistake-"

"I _know_ his handwriting," he snaps, glaring at me now. "He spent enough time paying me to copy my notes when we were younger for me to know. It's not his handwriting. It's someone else's."

My mouths gone dry. "So he told others?"

The blond in front of me purses his lips, then shakes my grip off of his hands. He turns away, stomping back towards his bed, where he momentarily stares at the doll. Then he swipes at it with enough force to throw the box and doll against the wall. It's hard enough that the box splinters and breaks.

"Cheap box," he mutters. "Nott doesn't buy anything cheap."

I sink into his couch, hands firmly gripping my knees. "Who would he tell?" I ask in a shaky voice, staring into the fire. I don't even know what Draco's doing at this moment.

"The fuck if I know. Blaise and I have always been his best friends. Pansy doesn't know how to be malicious like this, and Crabbe couldn't come up with something this underhanded, unless Nott lead him of course. Then again Daphne and Astoria do have a rather dark side about them…"

I zone out what he's saying. He's thinking out loud, looking for someone that Theo could tell who would go to such lengths, such sinister actions, to make a statement. Whether there's any truth in that note is still a mystery, but it's certainly a threat. And a dangerous one at that. The person is more or less talking about cutting me open in order to rid themselves of all the bad inside them.

Just like the myths…

I shudder. The myths were rather graphic about what was done to victims of these acts, and I don't plan on experiencing what I read. It's a gruesome, merciless way to die.

But who would actually be insane enough to believe something like that? It's far-fetched and sounds pretty irrational to me. Even if I was desperate, I still don't think I'd believe something like this. This person has to be pretty messed up in the head to be believing this.

Then again, they sent me a foreshadow of what they would do to me. Sanity probably isn't a quality of the person in question. The biggest question though is _who_. Who did Nott tell, and who's going to try to end my life? Until we know that, pretty much anyone could be an enemy.

Hell, _Ron_ could be an enemy, although I don't believe that in any case. That's neither Ron nor Lavender's handwriting, and I know he would never go to such lengths as this. But I'm sure the idea will appear in Draco's head, and I best have a counter argument ready.

I'm really not thinking straight right now. I think the little box just put me into shock. It's like nothing I expected and to be honest I don't know how I should react. I'm not sure if I should be scared or alarmed or angry or offended. I don't know what to make of things.

A hand comes to rest on my shoulder, and I swivel my head to look up into clear silver eyes. Without asking permission Draco sits on the couch beside me, and I find myself leaning into him.

I really just need a wall right now. A wall that won't tumble over until after I've got my head sorted out. He's not shaking like I am, but then again he's not doing much of anything in this moment. His body's tense again.

"Sleep here tonight," he says, catching me off guard. Despite my surprise, I don't pull away from him or even jump at the unexpected offer. I think I'm temporarily numb.

"We need to tell Dumbledore," I say, continuing to stare ahead of me. "This is dangerous territory."

"It's almost two," he remarks, surprising me. I can't believe how quickly time passed. We do patrols at ten. "It could be more dangerous to be wandering around at this hour. I don't have windows in this room, and there's no way you're going back to yours tonight."

"Draco-"

"The castle's supposed to be safe," he mutters, cutting me off. An arm slinks around my shoulders and I don't shrug it off. In fact, his fingers are tracing calming little circles on my skin. "I suppose that's not completely true."

"The windows could've been weakened at any point in time. Someone could've forgotten to enchant them, or someone spent the time to weaken the magic around then. Don't be so tense. I wasn't planning on returning there tonight."

He shifts ever so slightly at that. "And where exactly were you planning on staying then?"

I shrug, content against him. "Well, I was kind of hoping that you'd offer for me to stay."

We're silent for a long time after that, lost in our own thoughts. I know it's silly that I want to stay here in his room, but I can't help myself. If it's between the comfortable, warm room with Malfoy or my own that I could possibly be killed in, I'm certainly not going to go for the latter. Besides, it's not like this will be our first night sleeping in the same place together.

It's a precaution. That's all it is. And I'm sure if I offered up that answer to our behavior, Draco would agree.

I've been calling him by his first name all night since opening my door after discovering the box. Maybe it's a sign that we're growing closer. He's been doing the same.

"Tomorrow we can't go to class," he says, eventually breaking the silence. "We have to go see Dumbledore, and the sooner the better."

"We can go before breakfast," I reply. "Most everyone will still be asleep or waiting for food at that time. And then we'll get to talk to him first thing."

He nods, glancing over the back of the couch. "I wonder where that fucking doll went. We'll probably need to bring it along for proof."

"Dumbledore would believe us anyway. But once we've told our story we're going to have to figure things out." I shake my head against his chest. "I thought Hogwarts was safe."

"So did I," he mutters, and I can hear something in his voice. I hold my tongue, waiting to see if he had more to say, but nothing ever comes. He's holding something back, but I don't bother asking right now. I have a feeling I'll find out soon enough.

We sit for a few minutes longer, before I feel sleep creeping up. I'm surprised I'm able to feel tired at all after the threat. A yawn escapes my lips, and a half second later Draco's shifting.

"Get in bed Granger. I'll be along in a minute."

There goes that last name nonsense again. I have half a mind to tell him that at this point it's useless to continue on with this, but instead keep my mouth shut. I'll argue with him in the morning when I'm not so disoriented.

I get to the bed first, throwing back the covers as I sit and remove my shoes and socks. He's walking around the room now, picking up the note as he looks around.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he says quickly, almost too quickly. "Have you seen the doll?"

I shrug, not too interested in seeing it again. He seems to sense my discomfort and stops looking all together, pulling out his wand and casting a spell quietly. Immediately the doll flies up from the other side of the bed, followed by the broken box, and then both land in his hands. He sighs, looking down at it.

"I suppose I should probably put the bloody box back together," he grumbles as I undo my tie. "I'm not putting this thing in anything of mine."

Nodding I slip beneath the covers, scooting down under the warmth. Instantly I remember that I'm wearing a skirt and blush. Well, he'll be staying on top of the sheets apparently. We need one layer between us.

I'm almost asleep by the time he sets the doll and note aside, moving to change. Despite having pajamas in his room he doesn't change into any, and instead simply sheds his shirt and shoes before climbing into bed. I forget to mention keeping a layer of sheets between us as his warm body presses against mine, an arm locking around my waist.

It's protective, yet sweet. I kind of like this hold.

"Sleep Granger," he mutters, sinking into the bed. I'm content lying here against him, untroubled by the doll at the moment.

So I listen to him, and sleep takes its hold. Only it's a sleep haunted by nightmares instead of dreams.

* * *

Dumbledore doesn't have to ask us if something is wrong when we stumble in the following morning. The fact that I'm wearing rumpled clothing and we are both bleary eyed and half-awake speaks wonders. He's already fully dressed for the day, looking up at us over an age-old parchment when we enter.

When Draco pulls out the doll his expression darkens. We re-account what happened the night before, cleverly leaving out the fact that we shared a bed and that this morning was rather awkward while trying to get ready.

We won't even talk about how high up my skirt was when I stood. I'm pretty sure my cheeks turned redder than the color of my house.

It doesn't take long for him to agree with Draco that Hogwarts may not be the safest place. While I totally disagree with this notion, Dumbledore is rather unsettled by the entire event, almost as much as we were last night. I'm actually still rather unnerved.

"The book I gave you is very old Hermione," he says, looking at me, the doll sitting in the middle of his desk. "Although some things have been added, not everything about Siren's is well known. Indeed, there could be some newfound potion or spell that could do great harm to you if given the opportunity. If Draco so thoroughly believes that it's not Mr. Nott who sent the note, when we cannot truly be aware of who's threatening you. And to make an announcement to the entire school would be foolish. I will be making one, mind you, but since I can't delve into details the entire thing will be rather bland. Whoever threw the box has to be a Hogwarts student. If an outsider did this, we would've been alerted. While Mr. Nott may have thrown the box, he apparently did not write it. And I don't know when we'll be able to prove anything against him."

"Just give him some Veritaserum," Draco mutters, shaking his head. "Then he can tell us who he's working with and everything will be fine."

"We can't give just anyone Veritaserum Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore says, getting professional with the blond again. "Although our dear potions professor might be able to whip a batch up, it's foolish to do so right now, especially when the two of you will be gone for a week."

I tense at that, not entirely sure what the Headmaster is talking about. I glance towards Draco to see if he's in on this, but he looks just as puzzled as I feel. Clearing my throat, I voice my confusion.

"What do you mean we'll be away?"

Dumbledore shifts in his seat, lifting a hand. Immediately a piece of parchment and flies off from a high window, drifting down into his hand. He grasps the page firmly before setting it in front of us. Curiously, we both lean forward and inspect it. It's short, and I have it done in a minute.

"You owled my parents? They're going to think something is seriously wrong!"

"I merely altered them of your arrival Miss Granger," he responds, that familiar twinkle in his eye. "I did not go into the details of anything, as I do not feel that it's my place. I merely said that a few students are having a break from school and will be returning home to visit. You don't want to alarm them with your arrival."

"How did you know we would even need to get out of here?" I ask, staring at him. He smiles, gently grabbing the paper as he pulls it away.

"I didn't. I've had this written since you first came to me about this Siren business. I knew eventually you would need to go home with your mate and talk things through with your parents, bringing your mate along. If you feel that the time is right, I'll send the letter off once you leave here. I'll even date it."

I glance at Draco, uncertain about what to say. "What about our classes? Our Head duties?"

"There are Prefects to take care of those in your absence. I won't be explaining anything, as its best that those who don't need to know anything are left in the shadows. The more people know, the more danger you will be in. And it seems that enough people know already."

Beside me Draco shifts in his chair, and I look over at him again. I know he's uncomfortable being up here and present for this conversation, but he's dealing with the ordeal rather well. "It might actually be a good idea. If we only tell a few select people, then no one will know where we went. It could take the heat off of you for a bit."

"Until we return and everyone will want to know why we were gone at the _same _time," I counter, crossing my arms. I don't really think that the idea of getting out of Hogwarts for a bit is a bad one, considering all the things I still need to tell my parents. Plus, if it means nothing else will be thrown through my windows for a few days I'll take it. The thing I really don't want to do is face my parents. I don't even know where I would begin trying to explain everything. And I'm sure dragging Draco along won't make things any easier. My father will be less than thrilled to meet my _mate_.

"Well you're not going out alone," he responds, rolling his eyes. "That's like asking for something bad to happen. If you're leaving the castle to see your parents then, regrettably, I'm going with you."

I arch an eyebrow at that. Protective Malfoy is really going to take some getting used to. "And what do we tell the entire student body when we return?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now we need to focus on the present. And I think getting out of the castle for a week or so is a good idea. Maybe your parents are hiding something helpful at their house."

As if I haven't thought about that possibility enough times. Sighing I turn back to face Dumbledore, resting my elbows on the desk. "So when should we plan on leaving?"

"That depends on when you would like to leave," he responds, looking between the two of us. "You could leave now without a word to anyone, or you could leave tonight after you've gotten a chance to talk to your friends. It's entirely up to you. I would suggest, however, that you leave before nightfall. If you're going to bring an unexpected guest home to meet your parents you should do so before bedtime. Adult or not, I doubt they're going to be very open to the idea of Mr. Malfoy sleeping in your home."

_As long as we aren't telling them that he has to sleep with me, we're probably still doing decently well. _"I suppose you're right," I sigh, rubbing my temples. "I suppose I should start packing."

"I will owl your parents," he says, watching the two of us stand. "If you're going to be delayed more than a week though, please owl me. And you best have an understandable explanation as to why you can't return sooner."

"Oh, we'll be back in a week," I say, letting Draco step away first. The very notion of missing so many classes was already making me sick. "Trust me."

* * *

We ultimately decide to leave at noon. It gives me time to pack, and ensures that most everyone will be in their classes. But I don't want to leave any sooner because Harry and Ron have a free period in the morning, and it would be best to inform them of what's going on when they don't need to be in class.

I know Ron isn't being very understanding right now, but he is my friend. I want him to be aware of what I'm doing. And I don't want Lavender around during my explanation. She will just get snappy and bitchy again.

In this way, I'm able to convince Draco that I can go up to my room alone (he's being a hair too worrisome). I'm not used to all this attention, and need some time to myself. Overtime I might get used to his uncharacteristic worrying, but for right now it's still too new to me.

By the time Harry and Ron come and visit, my suitcases are already packed. They sit on my bed, waiting to be shrunk and taken with me. My friends immediately notice them, and shoot me worried glances.

"Hermione… is Malfoy forcing you to move in with him?" Ron asks, eyeing the bags suspiciously. I roll my eyes, thinking that the statement is rather obscure.

"No Ron, he isn't. I have to go away for a bit."

Harry frowns. "What exactly are you talking about?"

I sigh, gesturing to the sofa. They sit side by side, facing off against me with stern expressions. Even if Ron's being a jerk lately, I can still tell he's worried. No matter what situation the three of us get into, we always care about each other. I sit in a chair opposite them taking a breath.

"I received a threatening note last night."

"Why are we just now being informed of this then?!" Ron asked, standing. Already he's losing his temper this morning. How lovely.

"Calm down," I say, uninterested in a fight so early in the morning. "I got it right before patrols. It's a little doll that bleeds from the chest. That myth I told you guys about Siren's being able to remove the negativity from a person's soul? That's what Draco and I think it implies."

They exchange a glance, plenty of thoughts surely going through their minds.

"He's Draco now?" Ron asks again.

I place my hands on my hips, standing as well. "Ronald is that really the only thing you heard me say! There were plenty of other things in that sentence!"

"It's just something that caught our attention," Harry says evenly, pulling the ginger back down onto the sofa. "Hermione, when did you receive this threat? And why haven't you told Dumbledore yet?"

I'm getting agitated now by all of their questions. "I _did _inform Dumbledore. _Draco _came with me. Now are you going to let me tell the story or not?"

They press their lips together, finally sitting quietly while I re-account what vaguely happened the night before. I leave out the fact that Draco and I shared a bed again, as well as the fact that he's been so sweet. I don't make him out to be a jerk, but I don't delve into details. Even with my friends, I don't want to reveal too much. Not until I know what all is going on. They don't need to get all worked up while Draco already is.

When I finish, they both stare at me with wide eyes. Silence fills the air, and I try to read the expressions on their faces. They change between stunned, horrified, angry and concerned, before cycling through the sequence again. At length, Harry finally speaks.

"You have no leads?"

I shake my head. "No. If you guys could keep an eye on Theo and some of his friends for me while I'm away, that would be great. Or anyone else suspicious. I need you two to be my lookouts while I'm away."

"Take us with you," Ron continues, leaning forward in his seat. "We'll help you."

Again, I shake my head. "No. This is something that I have to do alone Ron."

"No, it's something you have to drag Malfoy along for instead of your friends," he replies sourly. Harry elbows him for that.

"Ron, I have to bring Draco," I say, brushing back my hair. "You might not like it, you might not even accept it, but we're mated. You need to get over your hostility towards him. Harry learned to accept it. Your sister is _trying _to accept it. Why can't you? Why can't you at least try for me? Because frankly Ron, I'm sick of your attitude. Your girlfriend might dislike me, but she isn't you. You don't need to be so uptight with me all of the time. So if you want to continue being a jerk, then you may as well leave. I'll have nothing more to say to you if that's the case."

That shuts him up fast enough. Our friendship is worth more than his disdain for Draco.

"When will you be back?" Harry continues when Ron has nothing left to say.

"I'm hoping in about a week. I wouldn't want to be gone longer than that. But it will depend what happens when I get to my parents. I'm sure there will be a lot of conflicts to begin with since I'm bringing a guest, but there's also all of my hopeful Siren heritage to go through. There has to be something there that can help me understand what's happening to me."

"And Malfoy will be away just as long?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think that might look a bit suspicious? Whoever's coming after you might figure out who your mate is if you're both gone for the same amount of time."

"Nott already knows, so whoever else is involved probably knows too. I'll take my chances."

My friend nods, standing. He moves away from Ron to where I'm standing, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I return the hug.

"Be careful Hermione, please. I might not trust Ferret Boy to take care of you, but I know you can take care of yourself."

I grip him tighter. It's fantastic to see Harry being so compassionate again. A moment later another set of arms encircles me, and I'm happy to see some ginger locks in my vision. Looks like Ron softened up and decided to hug me too. It's about time.

"I promise, I will be." Snuggled between my two friends, I sigh. I'm really going to miss their companionship, especially now that we've just made up.

* * *

**A/n: **And chapter twelve! It's a bit dark. Do you have any guesses as to who this new threat might be? Let me know! Don't worry, there will be hints in the future! Any thoughts on Draco and Hermione going to visit her parents, or the chapter overall?

Just a heads up guys- this was one of my very favorite chapters to write! Shoot me a review if you'd be so kind :D


	13. Take

**A/n:** Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! **Not yet edited.

Written for the _If You Dare Challenge_ prompt #71(a school bus) and the _Music Appreciation Challenge_.

* * *

_Was there ever any question/ on how much I could take_

_You kept feeding me your bullshit/ hoping I would break_

_~ taken from Five Finger Death Punches "Coming Down"_

* * *

Not too long after, Draco and I depart from Hogwarts. Everyone is in class right now, and we should be perfectly fine walking up past the wards to apparate. I'll drop us off down the street from my parents so we have a few moments to gather ourselves before going to see them. I still don't know how this meeting is going to go.

Draco's actually quite tense as we walk. I wonder why that is. When I ask him, he just rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

"Okay, what did you do?" I ask at length when he refuses to explain. He looks my way.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't act like a child Malfoy. You're already trying to cover something up, but why? What did you do while I was off packing and saying goodbye to my friends?"

"Well, I did the same thing you did."

I narrow my eyes. "Why doesn't that sound like a good thing?"

"Why wouldn't it be a good thing?"

"Just the way you said it," I reply, shaking my head. If he's hiding something I suppose I'll figure it out eventually anyway, so there's no major need to fret. Besides, I should be more focused on what I'm going to say when I get to my parents' house.

"Do you think they'll be excited to see me?" I ask eventually, glancing his way. His eyebrows draw together.

"Why wouldn't they be? You're their daughter, and I have the feeling your one of those loving families. Of course they'll be excited."

"But what about when I bring up the Siren business? My mother's been avoiding the topic really, acting like she doesn't know something. But what if she does and I figure that out when we get there? What then?"

"Hermione, worrying yourself over it now won't do any good. You can't predict what they'll be like when we get there. You just have to wait and see. Besides, it won't be long now. Just breathe. Something tells me they could never actually hate you."

"Maybe you're right." I sigh, and we walk on in silence. I can't believe I need Draco's comfort to calm me down this much. I'm a big girl and can do that all by myself. I'm just letting my emotions get to me way too much.

"So what _did _you do?" I ask again when it seems that we won't be continuing our prior conversation. "Should I be concerned?"

"I didn't get hurt if that's what you mean."

"It's not," I sigh, eyeing him. "I just wonder what you did that's so secretive you can't tell me outright. Do you think I'm going to lecture you or something?"

"Oh, I can almost guarantee that one."

I stop walking, crossing my arms as I turn to face him. "Okay, now you have to tell me. What exactly did you do and why did you do it?"

He shoves his hands into his pockets, looking at me sheepishly. "I may have confronted Nott… again."

My eyes flash. "Again!? What do you mean again!?"

"Well, there was one time when he made a rather disturbing comment about you in the corridor, and I was unable to help myself. I threw him down and almost killed him. We need to get a handle on these Siren-side-affects before something really bad happens. And then earlier we passed each other in the halls and I grabbed him and questioned him. I haven't killed the bloke yet."

"But you are irrationally stupid! If you want someone to come after us this would be the perfect time for them! Merlin, I know that you're trying to get a point across and all, but it's not really going to help. If Nott decides to inform whoever he's working with about your over-protective nature then his accomplice might use that to his advantage. And we're leaving the safety of Hogwarts. We're far more vulnerable once we pass the barrier. My parents' home is only warded so well. Something will get in if we aren't careful. Actually we should strengthen the wards, just to be sure they're still safe even after we're left."

"That's all assuming that the person Nott told isn't another student. If it is, Dumbledore is likely to notice if they start disappearing from classes."

"We don't know if the accomplice is a student or not," I remind, looking around. "Even just standing here could be dangerous. Someone could be waiting on the other side of the barrier to strike us."

Draco's eyes flash, and I realize I've said the wrong thing. Now those stupid protective traits of his will kick in. Why did I do that to myself?

"I guess you can walk behind me out of here then."

"I still have to be the one to apparate us. You've never been to my home before."

He nodded. "Your right. As soon as you're out of the barrier just hug me and take off. I'm still exiting first."

Rolling my eyes I silently follow him the last few steps. There's no use arguing about something so minor when we're already in the middle of a debate. Draco has his wand drawn as he passes through the wards, stepping outside the boundaries of Hogwarts. I follow behind him and immediately wrap my arms around his torso. Just before we've apparated away I gasp.

There, in the trees to our right. A set of eyes is watching us- and they aren't animal eyes. A human saw us leave Hogwarts. But how much did they hear?

Well, shit. Draco was right to be precautious I guess.

* * *

We pass by a school bus on the way to my home. I'm a bit nervous now after having seen someone in the trees, and Draco's on edge. He keeps holding my bloody hand.

Was Dumbledore wrong to send us away from Hogwarts? Maybe it's more dangerous out here than it was back there.

"You took the potion before coming, right?" Draco asks, following me. I nod.

"Of course. And I have a few batches with me, along with the supplies to make more if necessary. I doubt I'll go through that much though. Something tells me this will be a short visit."

"You think your parents are going to hate you that much?"

"No," I reply, shaking my head, "I don't want to stay here long if someone knows where we are, especially someone who could threaten my parents. Draco, we have to strengthen the wards as soon as we get there."

"Um, sure, but won't that alarm your parents if you barge in with a guy they don't know and just automatically start strengthening the wards?"

I groan. He's probably right. "Fine, you do the strengthening and I'll talk to my parents. I suppose that'll get you out of a conversation with my father for a little bit."

"Yes, I suppose. Is this your house?"

"Yes." We pause to at the door of a quaint suburban home. Draco must think it's the size of a shoebox compared to the Manor he's always lived in. But that doesn't matter to me. It's cozy, and it's been my home for many, many years. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be Granger."

Yeah, that's kind of how I feel. Taking a breath, I try the doorknob and find it unlocked. My parents must be expecting me if they left the door open- though it is a bit odd. I would usually come through the floo.

For several seconds after closing the door behind us I don't see anyone appear. The television is on in the living room, and I can hear some sort of movie playing. Then my mother suddenly appears down the hallway in the kitchen, rushing me a moment later.

"Hermione! Oh darling, it's good to see you. I was so worried." She envelopes me in a hug, and Draco politely steps away from us during this moment. I see him wave his hand briefly, and already know he's doing what I asked; strengthening the wards.

"Hi mum," I reply, pulling back from her. Although she's beaming, she has a nervous look in her eyes; something's bothering her. It has something to do with my previous letters, I'm sure. "I'm fine. No need to worry."

She looks a bit concerned by that, but nonetheless finally directs her attention to Draco beside me. Warily, she glances between the two of us. "And… who's this?"

I pull away from my mother to grab Draco's hand, who just arches an eyebrow at me. I think we should look like we like one another more than we do for my parent's sake. It might make the news about this whole ordeal easier if they think we're in love or something.

Well… maybe.

"Mum, this is Draco," I reply, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "Draco, this is my mum Jane."

She nods, still looking a bit confused. "Okay and he is…?"

_He's my mate from my Siren heritage that you still refuse to tell me about! _"Why don't we wait for dad before I start explaining thing? By the way, where is he?"

"He's showering," my mother replies, looking between us. "He should be down in a few minutes. We just had lunch, but I can make something if you want-"

"We ate before we came Mrs. Granger," Draco interrupts, smiling at her. Well, at least he's polite. "But thank you."

She nods again, looking like she's in a daze. There's a look in her eye that I can't distinguish, but I can tell something's off about her. There's something my mother's hiding.

I think she knows what we are to each other already, she's just afraid to admit it.

"Why don't we sit in the living room," she continues in a daze. "Do you have any baggage? We can drop that off upstairs-"

"It's not a concern right now mum. Why don't we go sit down?"

She nods, and we follow her into the living room. I shoot a glance back at Draco as we walk.

Yup, this is going to be harder than I thought. And I already thought it was going to be hard.

* * *

It takes a very, _very _long time to tell my parents about everything that's been going on. I skip over a few things, like having to sleep with Draco to complete the mating process and about Nott informing someone who's probably out there planning my death. I don't mention the doll or the amount of times we've slept in the same bed either.

And a potion to keep the men in school from jumping me because my voice causes lost? Forget about it. My father would likely have a stroke if I told him anything like that.

Thankfully, Draco plays along and ignores the same parts of the story that I do. He fills things in here and there, but mostly lets me tell the story on my own. Maybe it's because my father Richard is glaring at him the entire time. Yeah, that's probably why.

"So you're… soul mates?" my mother asks when we've finished our tale. My father sits silently, glaring at Draco. I'm really glad I'm not Draco today.

"In a way," I reply, shrugging. "Because of the Siren business, we're apparently mated. He's the only person that can cure me of my voice and the person I'm supposed to be with."

So I told them about the voice issue, just not what it does. My parents won't be left completely in the dark.

My father nods tensely, obviously unhappy with this situation. I don't know a parent who would be happy with it. "And you've stopped by to tell us your pregnant or something?"

My cheeks turn red. "No dad! That's not why I stopped by. Trust me, I'm certainly _not _pregnant." I can see Draco looking extremely uncomfortable out of the corner of my eye. I'm sure my dad is glaring at him every second, simply because of the situation. Poor Malfoy. I guess that's what he gets for all his reckless behavior involving Nott. Yes, this has to be some form of payback on karma's part. Oh well, I'm sure Voldemort's gaze was scarier than my father's.

"So why did you stop by then love?" my mother asks, looking uncomfortable too. "We've already talked about the Siren business in some of your letters."

My eyes flash. "No mother, we haven't. Maybe you've already forgotten, but you tried to play my Siren heritage off of nothing more than a misunderstanding and you pretended that you had no idea what was going on. We haven't had a real discussion about this yet. So tell me mother, what exactly _do _you know about Siren's?"

Jane looks super uncomfortable, but I don't back down. For this moment in time she's only Jane, not my mother. If I put distance between my emotions and what I need to know, I might actually be able to poke at her enough to get a straightforward answer.

She looks between the three of us before dropping her gaze to her lap and sighing. "There's a box in the attic upstairs that you should go look through Hermione. Take Draco with you. When you've seen everything inside the box, come back down and speak to me. It might take a few days; don't rush. Your Headmaster said you have a week before you have to head back to school."

I'm not quite sure what to say to this. I want to press her for more answers, but she wants me to look at a box? Draco and my father look just as interested and confused as I feel. Why couldn't she just tell me? Why do I need to go looking through a box?

I want some time to strengthen the wards though with him, and it'll give us some time to talk. Nodding slowly I stand and extend a hand towards Draco. He arches an eyebrow but takes it anyway. My father shoots us a look.

"I guess I'll go looking then," I reply, my tone dry. I want my mother to hear it in my voice that I'm unhappy that she can't just tell me. What's so complicated about the past that she can't say it? Or maybe this is a plan to get me out of her hair for a few minutes so she can compose herself. "I'll have Draco put his things in the guestroom on the way there."

"You do that," my father mutters, rolling his eyes. Without another word I drag Draco from the room and up the stairs.

"I think your father might just try to kill me tonight," he says, dropping his things on the bed in the room. "He does not like me at all."

"Can you blame him? If you were the father here, you'd be unhappy too."

He shrugged. "I suppose. So where's your room?"

"Next door, why?"

"Just curious. It's something nice to know in case I have to come save you one night."

"From what? The dangers of my sheets?"

"No. Granger, you're the one who wanted to enhance the wards around this place, which is what I assume we're going to do on the way up to the attic. You're worried that something might happen too while we're out here."

I sigh. "Yes, I suppose you're right. But I know some pretty powerful protection spells, and I'm sure you do too. With the two of us cloaking this house, it would take someone quite a bit of time to break in. And I don't intend to be here long enough to give them a reason to break in. The sooner we're away from my parents' home the better."

"Oh good. You're hoping to only stay a few days then?"

"Yes, if I can help it. I need some answers, and they need to answer some of mine, but I won't linger here until the dangers passed. Once we've mated, there will be no reason for people to try to cut me upon anymore. But we won't do that at my parents' house."

"No, definitely not. You think your father hates me now? He'd really be disgusted by me if I did something like that."

"You and I both. Are you ready to get started?"

He rolls his eyes, repeating the same statement from earlier. "As I'll ever be."

* * *

Three days. We only stayed three days before I lost it and screamed at my mom. The box in the attic wasn't hard to find, as it was sealed shut and we had to use our wands to open it. I guess no one's touched it in a really long time.

I discovered a few things. Now I understand why my parents were so tense. But that doesn't mean that they should've hidden things from me that could help me. I told my mum I'd go speak to her about everything when I finished looking through the box. And I have plenty to say now.

Draco follows me downstairs to the kitchen, but remains behind me near the door as I storm in and slam my hands down on the counter. "When were you planning on telling me?!"

My mother exchanges a glance with my dad, looking nervous again. "Hermione, you have to understand that we never wanted this-"

"It doesn't matter what you wanted," I interrupt. "It didn't change a damn thing. Don't you think it would've been helpful to tell me that we _aren't_ a regular muggle family? Don't you think I deserved to know that?!"

"Hermione, take a deep breath. We can explain-"

"No, no I'm not going to take a deep breath. I'm not going to even try to remain calm. Why didn't you tell me?! When I sent the first letter, why didn't you say something?! Why didn't you tell me what I should expect?"

"Hermione, we didn't want you to go through the same things your mother went through," my father says, finally speaking up. "We did everything we could to prohibit this. She took special medicines when she was pregnant with you to try to keep this from happening. When you went to Hogwarts, we realized things would only be more complicated. Not only would you quite possibly someday have this burden to carry, but it also means you're magical. In a way, you're in more danger than you could've been by just having the Siren heritage in you."

"You should've told me," I say, shaking my head. "You should've told me what could happen."

"We just wanted to protect you honey," my mother says, stepping closer to me. I step back, as there's too much going through my head at the moment.

"No, I don't know what you wanted. I don't think you had my best intentions in mind though when you kept it a secret from me." I turn away, grabbing Draco's hand as I pass him. "I'm going for a walk."

"Hermione-" my father tries again, but I spin on him.

"No, no more talking right now. I just need time to think." I pull Draco completely out of my house, ignoring the light rain that's falling as we exit.

I can't face them, not right now. Not with what I figured out.

My own _mother_ knew, my own mother experienced this, yet she kept everything a secret. It's like they thought if they kept things hidden from me I wouldn't get stuck.

That's an utter lie. I got caught in the same family issues everyone else apparently did, only my parents failed to inform me that someday I would have to find a mate in order to lead a decent life. They failed to prepare me for anything.

They knew all along, and they never helped me out until now.

Why?

* * *

**A/n:** So I cut this kind of short because my boss called me into work early and I couldn't get as much in as I wanted. What do you think Hermione's parents told her? Let me know! We'll see a bit more family moments next chapter _and _there's going to be hints on who else knows Hermione's secret. That was supposed to go in here too, but again my work kind of ruined it. So my lovely sister's going to post this using my account! Hurray.

Shoot me a review if you have a second!


	14. Bow

**A/n: **Thanks to my beta **Hunter's Heir**! **Not yet edited!

Sorry for not responding to reviews! I ran out of time before my doctor's appointment... next week for sure!

* * *

_I will not bow, I will not break_

_I will shut the world away_

_I will not fall, I will not fade,_

_I will take your breath away_

_~Taken from Breaking Benjamin's "I Will Not Bow"_

* * *

"Hermione, slow down," Draco warns me as I storm away. I don't even notice the rain falling on me head. "Hermione-"

"Don't try to defend them!" I scream, spinning around to glare at him. "Don't bother. They knew all along and they still didn't tell me. Did they think that playing stupid would make this horrible fate just go away!?"

"I'm not defending them- hey!" He grabs my arms, stopping me from turning around. "Would you calm down a moment and listen?"

I'd much rather push him off and keep storming down the street, but I don't think he's going to let me go anyway. I stand silently brooding, wondering why he's trying to help this situation.

"Look, I don't know why they hid things from you. Hell, I don't know why you were never told. I don't even know if you're considered a muggleborn anymore. I don't really know anything right now Hermione. But I do know one thing. Your parents seem to care about you a lot. Trust me, I got that impression from your father when he came and had a talk with me yesterday."

I arch an eyebrow curiously at that. "My father had a talk with you?"

Draco shakes his head. "Never mind- we can talk about that later. My point is that they probably had a good reason to hide this from you. Your mother seems terrified that something awful is going to happen to you at any moment. Maybe instead of screaming at her, you should try being rational about things."

"I have to be the rational one? She _lied_ to me-"

"I know," he soothes, rubbing my arms. "I was there while you looked through the box."

"I just don't understand," I groan, dropping my head against his shoulder. "They've always told me everything. What changed? What did they think they were gaining by keeping this a secret?"

"I don't know Hermione, but maybe if we go back and apologize, she'll tell you more about your heritage."

"Yeah, maybe," I agree, closing my eyes. I'm comfortable here, and his hands have moved from my arms to slither around my waist. I don't know when this became a hug, but I'm not arguing. It's quite comfortable here.

Lifting my head I realize we're very close. Draco doesn't look half as startled as I do, and I figure he already knew this. But that intense look in his eyes is throwing me off. Why does he always look like that around me?

I don't really know how we ended up kissing, but here we are, my hands tugging at his shirt and his hands pushing me closer to him. Its way too heated for the street, but for many moments I don't care. It feels marvelous to give into temptation and have a little taste of Draco. And Merlin, he tastes bloody fantastic.

Leaves crunch behind us and we freeze. I pull away and turn to glance over my shoulder, thinking it's my father. I stiffen when no one is there, Draco's hands tightening on my waist.

_That's _not good.

I shake my head thinking maybe I'm hallucinating, but beside me Draco's already pulled his wand out. I reach over and shove his hand back in his pocket, glaring at him. "This is a _muggle_ street."

"And whoever is watching us _isn't _a muggle," he replies, stepping away from me. The rain doesn't fall on the area I think the person stopped at, as they are under a tree. But if we could see them, I bet the rain would give them away. We would be able to see a human form since rain wouldn't pass through, but instead follow the outline of the form. Damn, if only it would back up or step a little closer…

I wish Draco would put that blasted wand away. We have to be drawing some attention from the passing cars.

Half a second after I think about that, Draco's thrown backward by some invisible spell. My eyes flash and I rush up to him, snatching his wand away before he retaliates. The hidden figure takes off, visible now. People are going to think they're hallucinating when they see rain falling around a ghost-like figure.

"Hermione!"

"If you do magic in the view of muggles you'll be in serious trouble," I remind, helping him stand. "Come on, we can at least follow it! It isn't hard to track."

Down the street we go, following the figure around two corners. I whisper a spell as we run, changing our hair colors and eyes. Well, at least if people make reports on this we won't be recognizable.

Less than three minutes into our chase we turn into a busy street. There are hundreds of people milling around here looking for Christmas buys and enjoying the shops offered. We freeze, exchanging a glance.

We don't even know who we were following. The stalker could be any one of these people.

"You should've let me hex him," Draco mutters, crossing his arms. "We would've known who it was."

"And we would've been in serious trouble," I agree, suppressing a grin. Draco would probably kill me if he knew his hair was red right now. "The spell I used to disguise us could get us in enough trouble. Whoever it was, they're gone now."

"Yeah, but for how long?" he asks, shooting me a look. "If the leaves under the tree hadn't been somewhat dry we wouldn't have heard anything. He could've been on top of us before we even knew he was there."

"If it is a he," I remind. "We're lucky there are even leaves. It's so close to wintertime that most of them are gone by now. I'm just surprised we didn't hear footsteps in the rain."

"He stepped carefully," Draco replies with a shrug, staring at my head. "Blonde really doesn't suit you."

"I know. Come on, let's get back to my parents' house and take this spell off. I feel ridiculous."

"As do I." He wraps a protective arm around me and we turn around and start back. We hadn't stepped very far into the busy street, and we're almost out when someone bumps into me.

"Watch it," Draco snaps, pulling me further away from the person. He has a hood drawn up to hide his face from the rain, and muggle jeans. He steps back as though to over away, saying nothing as we move to pass. As soon as we have, I feel a slight sting on my cheek, and reach up to discover something sticky.

"Draco," I say quickly, and he stops walking, looking my way. I hold out my hand, which has a thin line of blood dancing across my fingers. The rain washes it away. His eyebrows shoot up and immediately he's on my other side, surveying the cut. A quick, whispered spell has the cut closed up. Well, the Ministry might have something to say to us when we return. At least the spells we're using are nothing major.

"I think he cut your hair," he says in a low voice once the cut is closed. My eyes widen, and I reach over to feel the hair, pulling it in front to see if he's right. One section is much shorter, and brown. My eyes grow wider still.

"Do you have any idea what this person might be able to do if he has my DNA?" I ask, pulling my shirt closer to me. We didn't remember jackets before coming outside. "He could create polyjuice, he could do some sort of twisted potion that could hurt me, he could-"

"Let's not even think about it right now," he responds, pulling me along. "Come on Hermione, lead the way. We need to get back behind the wards before something else happens."

"Right," I mutter, "With my parents."

Draco sighs. "Look, we can go stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the next few days if it helps you. Dumbledore doesn't technically expect us home for two to four more days. If you're not willing to stay with your parents right now, we should head over there. Going back to Hogwarts is probably exactly what the person expects we'll do. I don't think he'd anticipate a detour."

"We don't know what he anticipates," I reply sourly. This day just continues to get worse and worse. "But maybe you're right- we don't know what's happening with Theo yet back at Hogwarts. He might be lying low for now, but we don't know what he has planned, or if he's been arrested, or anything. Dumbledore mentioned updating us on what's been going on in just a few days, whenever we return. Maybe prolonging it wouldn't be so bad… but there's no guarantee that the Leaky Cauldron will be any safer than here at my parent's warded house. I mean almost anyone can get a room there. And people are likely to remember if they two of us get a room together. If someone wanted to brag to reporters that might just make the headlines."

He shakes his head. "The news is so meaningless these days when the most interesting things to read about are other people's relationships. At least talk to your parents before you go anywhere Hermione. See if you can get some answers even. Maybe they'll explain something. I'll leave the three of you alone and go upstairs and make sure the wards are still intact. We'll know if someone's been trying to get in."

"Yes, please do. I don't want something happening to them."

"Right. Well, lead the way Hermione. Sounds like we have a lot to do."

I nod, continuing to take us back to my house as the rain picks up. It's cold outside, and I can't wait to be cloaked in warmth once more. But I can't help feeling like it doesn't matter where we go from here. If Hogwarts has people who want to hurt me, and there are people outside the school who are in allegiance with them, then is anywhere really safe?

* * *

The box sits in front of us, the very reason for my emotional rampage earlier. Draco is upstairs dealing with wards as planned, and I'm sitting in the living room with my parents, ready to talk about things.

I guess that's a lie. I'm not really ready to talk about anything, but I have to talk about things. I need answers to the things this box can't explain.

My gaze is fully focused on my mother. "Why didn't you tell me you had magical roots? I always knew that somewhere down the line we had ancestors who could do magic, but I _thought_ my own parents had no magical heritage whatsoever."

For a long time my mother is very quiet, supposedly trying to figure out what to say next. "I'm a squib Hermione," she whispers, not meeting my eyes. "And I was a Siren. I thought that dealing with one side of the spectrum would be enough for you. I thought… maybe, you would be skipped as far as the Siren heritage goes. I thought maybe you wouldn't have to know."

"And what if my children someday had these traits?" I snap my tone anything but soft. "What if these things happened to them and _I _didn't know how to help them because _you _never told me anything? They would be in the same situation I'm in now, mother- clueless."

I can tell that my words hurt her, but I won't soothe my tone. I'm mad at them, and I have no reason to hold my emotions back. When she has nothing to say, I focus on my father. "And you knew too?"

He swallows, before sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I knew enough. I knew that when you sent that first letter home that the process would repeat. I am a muggle Hermione, through and through. There's nothing magical about me. It was shocking when I learned the truth, because I had to accept the supernatural. At least that fellow of yours… Draco, at least he has a magical influence. These types of things aren't as hard for him to stomach. You call him a Pureblood, right?"

I nod.

"Maybe he's used to these sorts of things happening. Maybe he even knows things that we don't, even though your mother was a Siren. I say was, darling, because she had a child. The Siren in her was broken when we mated and danger passed, and removed when she had a girl offspring."

My eyes flash, and in a moment I'm on my feet. "You mean if I have a daughter I pass this shit onto her?!"

"Hermione, language," my mother snaps, glaring at me. "We're not saying that."

"Then what are you saying exactly?"

They exchange a glance. "We're saying that it's possible," my father says at length, clenching his hands together. "We weren't sure if you would have any of these traits. It was up in the air for us. There was no definite sign because the Siren in you is such a small probability. My guess, and granted I know little to nothing about this world, is that the Siren half won out and very much became a part of you because these types of creatures are not very common anymore."

"No," I mutter, grabbing the box. "So this book is supposed to tell me all of the things people might do to me if they get parts of me? Like my hair or spit?"

My mother purses her lips. "It's just notes that some of our ancestors made Hermione. These things could've changed overtime. Magic is the only thing that kept that book so nice over the years."

I shove it aside, reaching for something else in the box. That's not the answer I wanted to hear. I don't want to hear that there's more to this puzzle. I want the pieces to stop coming, and for the puzzle to be whole. I don't want any more surprise discoveries that will make this harder.

I really wish my parents thought to bring this bullshit up in the first place. Now I'm even more afraid about what that person might do with my hair. Whether I really like it or not, I have to read that book.

Bloody hell.

"And this is just… a documentation of who in our family has been a Siren or a witch?"

"Or both," my mother replies, nodding. I hand that back to her. At this point, I don't think it can really help me.

"And your diary you kept during your experience of finding your mate and breaking the curse?" Again, she nods, and I hand it over as well, but she pushes it back. "I don't want it mother."

"Keep it anyway," she replies, giving me a soft smile. "Maybe it will help you."

"I don't think anything is going to help me," I snap, setting it back on my half of the table nonetheless. I'm not in the mood to argue, I just want to get this over with. Maybe when I'm not so angry at my parents we can really discuss this matter, but it doesn't seem like they are any more open to offering up advice now than before.

We go through the rest of the blasted box, from pictures of ancestors to mementos that can't help me. Aside from the first book, nothing too useful appears in the box. At the very bottom I notice a bracelet and pick it up.

"What's this?" I ask, holding it out to my mother. She stiffens.

"It's a bracelet my mother gave to me when she realized that I had the traits of a Siren," she replies, staring at the object. "I never used it."

My eyebrows draw together. "So what does it do exactly?"

She purses her lips. "It tells you if the child you're carrying has Siren traits."

I froze. If this thing actually works, it would've been helpful to have used a long time ago- like, when I was conceived. "Oh," I reply in response, not really sure what else I'm supposed to say.

"Maybe you should take it," she continues, glancing up the stairs to where Draco is, "It might come in handy. "You never know when you might need it."

"I don't have any plans of having children for quite some time," I reply, standing. "I'll go gather my things though. Our reservation should be ready by now."

My parents know we're spending the rest of our time at a hotel. If this worries them, they don't let on. I think they know that the ground between us is rocky enough as it is. I don't need lecturing about who I should and shouldn't sleep with in a situation like this. Plus, I'm an adult. They can't say too much.

I'm halfway up the stairs when my mother stops me, a hand placed on my shoulder. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?" I ask, turning around. I really have nothing left to say to her.

She holds the bracelet out to me. "Please, take it. You need it."

"I don't need it if I'm not planning on having children anytime soon," I argue, the two books I've taken pressed to my chest.

But she shakes her head, a pained look appearing in her eyes. "You don't realize it, do you?"

I frown. "Realize what?"

Before she can reply someone at the top of the stairs clears their throat, and I glance over my shoulder to see Draco. He seems a bit uncomfortable interrupting our conversation, but I think he sensed that it was better to as well.

"Everything's set," he says, avoiding mentioning the wards. I told him to leave that part out, lest my parents worry about what happened when we were outside earlier. "Everything's packed, except that last suitcase of yours. I didn't want to touch it."

"Thanks," I say gratefully, glad that Draco's being so understanding about this whole situation. Turning back to my mother I square my shoulders. "You were saying?"

Instead of replying, she wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. Startled I don't hug her back for many moments, and then finally accept the embrace. And to think I thought she was going to say something important.

"I'll owl you," she whispers, and I wonder why she suddenly got so quiet. Nodding once, I pull away. What's gotten into her?

"I'll finish packing," I say awkwardly. Backing up the stairs I can't read the expression on her face, but I can tell she's worried. Why didn't she just finish her thought?

I think it has something to do with Draco. She got nervous when he appeared- but why? At the top of the stairs I turn and walk away with Draco, shaking my head.

I will never understand my parents. They can never just say what's on their mind.

* * *

The Leaky Cauldron is crowded as usual, but we sneak in. Draco checks in since the reservation is under his name and he goes upstairs first, despite his protests that I should. Ten minutes later I follow, all of our luggage having been taken upstairs by him.

I love the Leaky Cauldron, but some of the occupants here are a bit creepy. Those are the ones I try to stay away from. I get to the room and knock, and Draco quickly pulls me inside.

"I knew there was a reason my family always stayed at the Pitch," he mutters, shaking his head. "This kind of crowd would've never gotten in there. We shouldn't even be in this establishment."

"It's not that bad Draco," I reply, sitting down on the bed. "The rooms are comfortable, the price isn't through the roof-"

"This price is barely through the floorboards."

I throw a pillow at him for interrupting me. "The location is great and the only drawback happens to be some of the people. But people are nothing we can't handle. Besides, the guy that checked you in looked floored that you were there at all. People don't expect you to be here, which is good. That means whoever stalked us earlier today probably doesn't even realize we're here."

"Yeah, maybe," he mutters. "I'm going to take a shower Hermione. We can go get something to eat after that."

I roll my eyes. "They do have room service Draco, which will up the price since you're complaining about how _little _this costs. I'll order in."

"Have it delivered in at least a half hour."

I crinkle my nose. "It takes you half an hour to shower."

"No, it takes me twenty minutes to shower. Then I do my hair and get dressed. I just prefer to be out here when the food arrives."

"Whatever," I reply, holding up my hands. "A half hour it is." Satisfied, he hurries off to shower, and I shake my head. He's a little over protective still.

My hand moves to my hair and the short piece. Maybe he's right to be over protective. Someone really wants to kill me. Being cautious can't be bad in a situation like this.

I've sent out for room service not five minutes later when the latest paper catches my eye, sitting on the bedside table. Deciding that I can't stomach anymore Siren nonsense for the time being I pick it up, hoping to find an interesting story somewhere in its pages.

The headline immediately catches my eye. It's a list of former Death Eaters who are being released from Azkaban within the next week. I've seen the headlines like this before, but one name in particular catches my eye.

_Atticus Nott. _That's Theo's father, and he's being released this week. I check the newspaper date again. Yes, he was actually released two days ago.

I tap my chin. He would've been out and about, parole officer or not. He could've been the person following us today. After all, I doubt a Hogwarts student got away on a break. But Theo and his father were always known to be close, just like Draco and his father at one point…

I get up and knock on the bathroom door. "Hey Draco."

"What!? Something wrong?" I hear the water turn off.

"No, no, continue your shower. I just have a question."

"Bloody hell Granger, it must be one important question." The water doesn't turn on but I can hear him wandering around the bathroom. "Shoot."

"Was Theo really close with his father before he was imprisoned?"

"Nott Senior?" The bathroom door opens and he steps out in nothing more than a towel, wet hair stuck to his head. My stomach does a little flip at the image. "Yes, they were pretty close, why?"

I pull myself out of my oogling faze long enough to point to that section of the paper. "His father, Atticus, was released two days ago. Do you think he would want to team up with his son for some reason to come after me?"

His eyebrows draw together, beads of water coming down to attack the paper. "From what I know Theo hasn't spoken to his father since his imprisonment. However, that may have changed since he's now released. But that's pretty quick to explain an elaborate plan to kill you."

"If the plan is to kill me."

He shoots me a look. "The plan is probably to kill you. Who else is listed?"

I glance at the paper. "Marcus Flint, Crabbe Senior, Regulus-"

"Theo was quite fond of Flint," he interrupts, rubbing his chin. "I'd be more convinced that he's been talking to Marcus than to his own father. They are like best friends outside of school. Bet they even communicated while he was in prison too."

"So you think Flint should be our number one suspect right now for who's working with Nott?"

"I'd rank him pretty high," Draco agrees nodding his head. "But we have to remember that they have only been out for two days. The eyes we saw outside the Hogwarts boundary happened almost four days ago. That leaves room for questioning. But right now, since we really don't have anyone else to go off of, I think we should rank Nott Senior and Flint as suspects one and two."

* * *

**A/n: **There's chapter fourteen! Do you think it could really be Atticus Nott or Marcus Flint, or someone else completely? Let me know!

Also, the stuff that hid in the box from Hermione's mom? That's super important in the future! Trust me :D

Let me know what you thoughts.


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